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Course of studies
Digitalisation has great impact on employee-employer relationships. With Web 2.0 modern features like flexibility and mobility influence the organisational structure. Crowdsourcing is a new form of remote employment which will be analysed in this work. This system consists of several anonymous freelancers taking part in task collaboration via the internet. It is a process of connecting with a large group of unknown people in order to find solutions for a certain problem. This phenomenon describes several possibilities and challenges for Human Resources Management.
Based on the main literature two hypotheses were stated: The first one assumed that this certain success is dependent on participation and the second hypothesis proposes the dependence of the digital community itself. This bachelor thesis tries to investigate the influential factors contributing to a successful crowdsourcing initiative in the context of HR. The essence of this lies in motivational aspects therefore first crucial features were determined that lead to and result from motivation. Next, desirable characteristics of the crowd itself were identified such as diversity and autonomy. This all was concluded with the assumption that HR’s responsibility is developing novel possible practices in order to cope with the new challenges crowdsourcing presents. How those mentioned processes and suggestions might be put into practice maintains a suspect matter which requires more investigation in the future.
A shortage of skilled workers is a problem which many organizations face when expanding their plants abroad. In Germany, for many organizations it is comparatively easy to prevent this problem by constantly training their own employees in the apprenticeship system but in their plants abroad this option is commonly not available. The only way to achieve the same option abroad is to implement the apprenticeship program in the plants independently. That bears many challenges but also many opportunities. This thesis focuses on the implementation of the apprenticeship in Mexico and seeks to examine the main challenges which arise before, during and after the implementation. After the examination of these and explaining their root cause, various solution approaches are analyzed and recommended based on the case of IMS Gear SE & Co. KGaA.
Current work aimed to conduct the market research for premium surgical power systems market segment in China. Qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary researches were completed in order to set the right strategical direction for service, weight the opportunities in the market, set the right models and methods for service. Research results are describing the demand on service, mechanics of the business and the benchmark of the segment. Customer's profile, sales channels, service portfolio and 5 Ps for the service of surgical power systems were completed.
Due to OMEN by HP's status as a fairly new gaming brand, this paper focuses on evaluating the company's definition of their target segments, as well as actions regarding current trends. In addition, it aims at identifying further opportunities in the German gaming market concerning untargeted segments and emerging trends.
Research relies on books and scientific publications, as well as websites, newspaper articles and forum discussions. HP's target segments are examined using behavioural and profile based segmentation variables; the results of this re-segmentation are summarized graphically. An analysis of major trends includes a SWOT analysis for each trend in order to identify the course of their development.
Research has shown that families and silver gamers will become increasingly important in the future. Additionally, further studies should be conducted concerning HP's target segments and mobile gaming. HP performs quite strong in terms of identifying the overall needs of its target segments, as well as regarding technological trends. The company should, however, increase its efforts concerning trends that go beyond technology, such as eSports.
A good piece of research should be simple to understand, inspiring and encourage further researchers to keep developing the topic in focus. An unexplored field such as the motivational drivers and traits of social entrepreneurs involved in the arising opportunities from the refugee crisis in Germany is a research piece that has never been done before. Breaches and insufficient information in this topic was meant to be coped with qualitative research methods. In-depth interviews allow gaining first-hand insights into what factors drive a social entrepreneur to create, develop and sustain a venture directly involved in the refugee crisis sector. The tools used in this research were meant to understand a variety of social entrepreneur’s meanings and perspectives to generate a conceptual framework and a theoretical contribution. Due to the fact that no studies had been carried to enhance the understanding of what traits and characteristics do social entrepreneurs involved in the refugee crisis possess. This research found more than 15 traits and 20 motivational drivers that society’s heroes possess and conceive a new type of entrepreneur, the “Type S” entrepreneur. This study navigates through the differences and overlaps between for-profit’s and social entrepreneur’s motivations. Followed by an exploration of a social entrepreneur’s motivational drivers and traits using the refugee crisis in Germany as mean and lens. Concluding with a suggestion of a new breed of entrepreneurs.
Business Process Management (BPM) is a systematic approach to analyze, optimize, standardize and control business processes. It proves to be an effective tool in order to attend to growing customer requirements and the need for process performance improvements. Hence, it is the objective of the division of Customer Supply Chain Service (CUS) of the Automotive Aftermarket at Robert Bosch GmbH to implement standardized business processes in all European CUS regional organizations. Combining the findings from literature, group discussions and the results from Business Process Optimization workshops, this thesis aims to collect important data for the creation of value stream maps with Microsoft VISIO. As a result, all AS-IS and TO-BE core business processes of CUS were modelled. Additionally, the TO-BE business processes were integrated and visualized as one Business Process Model framework for all CUS organizations across Europe for the purpose of showing interrelations of the business processes, standardization, documentation and transparency enhancement.
Ensuring that the optimized business processes are not only documented, but successfully rolled-out across all European regional organizations of CUS is an immense challenge which many companies in the past have failed to overcome. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to empirically research the critical success factors and challenges for the implementation of redesigned and standardized business processes as well as the organizational changes of CUS. The research method involved half-structured interviews with experts in the field of BPM taking recourse to a literature review. These factors need to be considered and strategically catered to since they have a strong signaling effect for the further success of the change project. Findings of the research reveal a demand for improvement of communication to affected employees and the call for a successive roll-out plan for the implementation as opposed to a radical “Big Bang” change of all business processes across all regional organizations. By applying a gradual step-by-step implementation strategy, “quick wins” in terms of easy-to-implement business processes can be achieved. These instant optimizations lead to employees losing resistance and hesitation towards the change project. Limitation to the research is the application to a single case of one specific organizational unit in the Automotive Aftermarket.
E‐Collaboration and what it means for the modern business world is attracting more and more the attention of today’s leaders and professionals. Especially organizations whose products and services are interactively created and used by global teams consisting of customers and suppliers have every reason to understand E‐Collaboration for its many benefits and opportunities. This bachelor thesis investigates how E‐Collaboration can scale the information processing capacity of international sales organizations using the example of va‐Q‐tec Ltd ECollaboration tool requirements are defined taking the circumstances of va‐Q‐tec Ltd into consideration. The findings of the study show that an E‐Collaboration tool with resource management, workflow and dashboard tool features are most needed to scale va‐Q‐tec’s information processing capacity. Furthermore, this paper explores different aspects of ECollaboration including the basic components of collaboration, the incremental scaling of information processing capacity and the circumstances of today’s international sales organizations. Empirical findings reveal that scaling information processing capacity requires central storage and processor systems supported by information technology. Scaling information processing capacity by increasing the workforces is found to be inefficient. Selfservice interfaces allowing 24/7 information access and exchange are the new benchmark for sales organizations.
Studies show that happiness leads to success nearly in every life domain, including work. Employees who are happier have superior productivity, creativity, performance and are more satisfied with their jobs. All these perks make the topic of happiness highly relevant for the business world. This thesis aims to get a better understanding of how the job affects happiness by distinguishing between two different paths to happiness and well-being that origin from the philosophical terms hedonia and eudaimonia. Hedonia can be described as the pursuit of pleasure and eudaimonia as the pursuit of meaning. Hedonia and eudaimonia will be assessed in general and in job-settings in order to evaluate how these orientations affect the global happiness of individuals. By using the model of subjective well-being by Diener and by analyzing its hedonic facets of life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect, in general and on the job, it was determined under what conditions or in what situations on the job an individual will contribute to their happiness. The same approach was used to assess eudaimonic well-being. The dimensions of the model of psychological well-being by Ryff, were evaluated as facets and it was assessed how each of these dimension; environmental mastery, self-acceptance, positive relationships, growth, autonomy and purpose, affected global happiness in job-related settings. The results of the analysis of the facets are presented in a visual model that shows how these facets contribute positively to happiness. Nevertheless, this model has a lot of limitations that are a reflection of the challenges in the field, where there is a problem with the semantics, with the categories of analysis, with the research methods and biases, and all the differing perspectives of the leading researchers.
The economic impacts of tourism on regional, sustainable development - The case of the Swabian Alb
(2016)
The goal of the work was to determine the economic impacts of tourism on a region. Several models are described and the tourism value chain was chosen and employed for determining the economic effects tourism spending has on a region. The region chosen was the Swabian Alb which is located in the South of Germany. Many complex tools such as Input Output approaches or Tourism Satellite Accounts exist in tourism economic impact studies but for a small region such as the Swabian Alb those are too time-consuming. The value chain has proven to be an easy and effective tool in improving the positive economic effects of tourism such as multipliers and reducing negative effects such as leakages. The findings showed that the Swabian Alb is a sustainable region and does also research on economic impacts. However, there are gaps in this research and for a small region like the Swabian Alb is it is hard to measure indirect effects of tourism as those effects are not easy to capture especially in numerical terms. Therefore the value chain was developed and along the value chain potential sources of leakages and linkages can be found and ways to improve the sustainability can be formulated.
A Successful introduction of E-learning for Bosch Car Service and Auto Crew Workshops Worldwide.
(2016)
The purpose of this study is to determine how to introduce E-learning successfully for Bosch soft franchise workshops to maintain quality in services and a high level of customer satisfaction. The study focuses on two research question A) Should Bosch continue to invest in producing elearning course for workshops. B) How to increase workshop’s participation for e-learning. Regional Concept Managers from 14 countries evaluated the existing e-learning courses to define exclusively “E-learnings” pro and cons as per their marketplace to see if investing in elearning is beneficial. Secondly, the emphasis was placed on Regional Managers to brainstorm on what are the new strategies can be used to motivate the workshop to take part in e-learning. Broadly speaking, learning is an expensive and time-consuming activity that can be a disadvantage when it comes to teaching people. Bosch was one of the pioneer company after Daimler that uses e-learning platform to train their workshops- Bosch car Service and Auto Crew. The vision for e-learning was very innovative and useful for the workshops to teach the structured way of showing all the works that carried out in a workshop. However, low participation from the workshop in e-learning courses has been a challenge.
The first part of the thesis provides a theoretical understanding of the Automotive Aftermarket. It also gives detail introduction and usage of “E-learning” in 21st century. The second part explains the workshop concepts “Bosch Car Service” and “Auto Crew.” It also provides an overview of “how e-learning course is produced and used for workshops” and the final part consists of an “Empirical Research” that includes the findings from Expert Interview and survey with Regional Managers. The findings from empirical part reveal that E-learning courses are useful for the workshop. Therefore, Bosch should continue to invest in producing E-learning Courses. However, study shows the different areas that need improvement, therefore findings from the empirical research need to be considered by the Headquarter as well as the Regional Organization to successfully introduce “E-learning” for the workshops.
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.
Generation X and Y are going to dominate the workplace. With these generations the trend to better education especially for females is evident. Longer education and equal job opportunities of male and female is one reason for increasing assortative mating. This on the other hand leads to an increasing number of Dual Career Couples, meaning relationships where both partners aim to realize an own professional career. Dual Career Couples are challenged, when the company requires them to be mobile and one of them is offered an international assignment. While companies offer attractive mobility and partner support for the old classical family model with a bread-winner and an accompanying spouse, the new couples expect that also the partner has an attractive job opportunity at the new host location. Most organizations are not yet prepared to deal with those expectations adequately, in-house competence and infrastructure have to be developed. Universities discovered Dual Career Couples as attractive target group and have established a supporting infrastructure. Networks seem to be the most promising solution so far wherefore they will to be further expanded and supported.
Globalization and digitalization are two major trends shaping organizations today. Information systems are heavily influenced by globalization because of the crucial role they play in many organizations operating in an increasingly international environment. One way this is demonstrated is through different usage behaviour displayed in different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this study is to determine how cultural differences influence the use of information systems through the Technology Acceptance Model. Insights into differences in user behaviour are able to contribute to a better understanding of operating, developing and managing information systems.
The study is based on a mixed methods approach to empirical research using primary and secondary data. A literature review was used to establish a theoretical foundation of concepts regarding the key points of the study. Subsequently, two expert interviews have been conducted with the departments responsible for most of the information systems operated at the Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences with the objective to collect information about the provided services. It has been revealed that there is a movement towards expanding services to mobile devices. A survey was carried out to measure and analyze usage behaviour and attitudes of business faculty students towards the information systems. Based on path analysis of the collected data, an extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model has been developed with social influence as additional variable. The results show that different cultural dimensions impact the approach to use an information system differently characterized by the degree of support for the Technology Acceptance Model and the emphasis on either traditional factors or social influence. Finally, the survey has revealed general support for mobile learning information systems as an instrument to access information.
This thesis investigates what measures a third-party logistics (3PL) provider has to take in order to be able to acquire contracts in foreign countries for further growth of its business. This study is being carried out on behalf of a German medium-sized 3PL provider whose strategic objective is to acquire especially those contracts which have not been outsourced to other 3PL providers by the customer before. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to replace another 3PL provider owing to a customer’s high switching costs. A general global marketing process is being applied for investigation. This process is adapted to the specific case of a 3PL provider by results of expert interviews conducted with different employees at the headquarters as well as two foreign subsidiaries of the company. Based on this process, the author derives general recommendations for the company. The conclusion of this thesis is threefold. First, general recommendations including early market entry, preparation through intense market research and the creation of a competitive advantage are given. Second, a plan of action is proposed on what measures have to be taken when participating in a foreign tender. Finally, a decision tree on how foreign tenders can be evaluated with respect to the company’s strategic objective is suggested.
The ongoing globalization process facilitates the internationalization of operations, and therefore, intensifies the competition in almost every industry. Innovation is a key factor for companies to defy the competition of multinational organizations in highly competitive markets, especially considering that multinational ones are able to benefit from economies of scale due to their total market size. Technological progress is a significant driver for innovation and a result of intense research and development. In a country with comparatively high wages like Germany, research and development is an expensive issue for domestic companies, above all for the small and medium-sized ones. Considering also higher technological standards in some other countries, German companies have to search for opportunities to carry out research and development activities abroad in order to stay competitive. Especially China and India, which are mainly known as popular target countries for carrying out production due to low labor costs, became important locations for technology development activities. If companies plan to relocate their research and development activities in those countries, they have to choose an appropriate entry mode. Therefore, companies should take into consideration the desired level of control over operations, institutional restrictions and the availability of monetary resources. In addition to the difficulty in measuring precisely the impact of innovations on a company’s success, particularly in the long run, attractive location factors are volatile and can change due to new trade and tariff agreements, political tensions between countries or economical changes, complicating future predictions. Furthermore, the relocation represents a major challenge to the organizational structure as the degree of decision-making authority given to the subsidy determines whether operations abroad will lead to success and ensure the backflow of knowhow. Thus, innovation management’s tasks consist of adjusting processes and structures in order to promote the dispersion of this critical information within the entire organization.
The recruitment and selection process in the mining sector in Zimbabwe has proven to be a challenge to both the management and the prospective employees. The mining sector is one industry that is of interest to the author as it contributes over half of the country’s Gross Domestic product. Employment in Zimbabwe is very high in the world due to the poor performance of the economy which is a result of mismanagement of the country. This paper seeks to examine the challenges that are faced by the prospective employees when seeking for jobs in the mining sector and also the challenges that the management faces in the recruitment and selection process. After the examination of those challenges, the author will provide a detailed analysis of the root causes of these challenges and then at the end provide recommendations in order to fix the challenges. This paper will also serve as one of the basis of further study of the recruitment and selection process in the mining sector in Zimbabwe
The main purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the customers’ motivation to participate in SAP‘s Influencing Programs and to subsequently generate suggestions for possible improvements.
The framework for the domains of interview design, analysis of conducted interviews, as well as the analysis of secondary sources is presented by theoretical analysis of both the involvement of business-to-business customers in the innovation process as well as the nature of motivation.
Empirical findings show that customers’ motivation to participate in SAP IPs consists of, in descending order of importance, the following motives: Influencing functionality, understanding functionality, learning about future functionality, contact to SAP, and contact to other companies. The design of SAP’s Influencing Programs is generally in line with the motivation of participating customers. Still, improvements could be realized in terms of customer involvement during the selection process, internal alignment between different Influencing Program teams, and mandatory training of Influencing Program moderators.
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.
Purpose: This research aims to analyze Generation Y, also known as Millennials in order to understand how companies can successfully address the members of the Generation, when introducing new technology. As Generation Ys influence on the market will be tremendously increasing it is important for marketing to understand the trends and behaviors that drive the Millennials buying decisions. The aim is to create understanding about changing trends and dependants that play a role in the Millennials behaviors and determine their values and attitudes towards new technology products.
Method: Best practices were elaborated from secondary data in form of scientific literature, primary data in form of research though a survey on Uber and case studies on Apples iWatch as well as Googles "Google Glass"
Conclusion: Millennials are a very complex generation. Therefore there is a lot to consider when marketing to Millennials should be effective. As Millennial cohorts change rapidly, marketers need to address its members in the right way to ensure sustainable results and effectiveness. In a changing environment they need to be one step ahead of trends and act as peers rather than treating Millennials as their target group. Millennials like experiences, therefore a good brand communication is essential to create trust and brand commitment.
The continuous growth of e-commerce combined with new developments in mobile technology make it vital for sporting goods retailers to look for strategies to increase their online competitiveness. Dynamic pricing is a powerful strategy to increase revenue and at the same time ensure price competitiveness. With this in mind, the aim of this thesis is to explore revenue maximization in e-commerce sporting goods retail through dynamic pricing of product inventories. To do so, a multi-method approach was performed using three parts, namely a literature review on e-commerce sporting goods retail and various dynamic pricing strategies, an analysis of empirical sales data, and an interview segment amongst experts from e-commerce sporting goods retail.
The research in this thesis has produced two key findings. In theory, inventory and demand-based dynamic pricing is the optimal choice for revenue maximization of product inventories in e-commerce sporting goods retail. In practice, inventory and demand-based dynamic pricing can only be used for revenue maximization of clearance inventories. The reason for this is because the multichannel pricing strategies used by sporting goods retailers prohibit inventory and demand-based pricing of all product inventories in e-commerce.
Future research should seek to combine multichannel pricing strategies with dynamic pricing, and doing so would enable e-commerce sporting goods retailers to exploit the full potential of revenue maximization through dynamic pricing of product inventories.
Today’s era is marked by high volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity – VUCA. As the global reach of businesses increases, the need for competent managers to take on cross-border assignments grows. Even though the results can be key to organizational effectiveness, global mobility remains a low priority on the list of strategic imperatives. This thesis will explain why and how companies should consider a strategic approach to global mobility in a VUCA environment discussing links between today’s turbulent times and global mobility. It will combine theory with practice, point out the key factors global mobility strategies must focus on in today’s VUCA environment and use these findings to develop a set of assignment types beneficial in the VUCA era. The study is based on qualitative research methodology using primary and secondary data. A literature review was used to gather theoretical information comparing various sources from academic journals and books on relevant topics. Case studies featuring Budenheim and Hewlett Packard shall give an insight into which methods companies are using in order to survive in this chaos and relate discussed theories to practical situations. It has been revealed that the three main factors responsible managers must focus on strategically when sending employees abroad are developmental value, cost effectiveness, and flexibility of cross-border assignments. The need for developmental value of assignments stems from an increased involvement of employees in their own development as well as the need for competent global managers. The need for cost effectiveness results from fierce global competition, and flexibility is highly important due to all of the VUCA forces creating turbulence around the globe. Based on these results the most advantageous assignment types are found to be developmental assignments, extended business travels and project assignments.
The marketing strategies concerning the establishment of a brand originally come from the business sector. Because of the differences between non-profit organizations (NPOs) and companies they are not equally applicable to the non-profit sector. This thesis examines the applicability of these strategies and also looks at their possibilities of adaptation to fit the characteristics of the NPOs. Apart from that it shows the operationalisation by means of the communication. In the practical part of the thesis the findings are applied to the example of the Spanish NPO Iniciativa Internacional Jóven. Starting with the organization’s mission and vision it is explained how the organization’s purpose, values and principles, and the view of the future evolve during the phase of foundation and which requirements have to be met. Subsequently the development of marketing objectives is shown. The following chapter of the marketing strategy is divided into four parts: segmentation and target groups, differentiation, brand identity and image and lastly positioning. Concerning the segmentation and target group this task is more complicated for NPOs because NPOs have to pay attention to the three different target groups of the users, volunteers and donors. However, the definition of target groups can support the efficient use of resources because of the focus on narrowly defined groups of persons. With regard to the differentiation the competitive advantages are examined. Those result from the combination of core competencies and their respective contribution to the value for the target groups. That way NPOs can discover where to focus their resources and an additional connection to the target groups can be established. The brand identity corresponds to the self-image of an organization. By investigating this self-image in a structured way and elaborating an extensive and at the same time consistent brand identity the basis for a favourable brand image can be created. The brand image is equivalent to the brand perception on the side of the stakeholders. The link between the brand identity and image is the positioning. Within the positioning strategy the various characteristics of the identity are transformed into a few positioning features, depending on their relevance for the target groups and the prevailing market conditions. The marketing strategy lays the foundation for the strategy of communication. Within the scope of this strategy those communication instruments are selected which best contribute to the achievement of the communication goals, which for their part allow the marketing objective achievement. In addition the communication message can be developed so that it can be perceived, remembered and associated with the organization the best way possible. The application of the findings leads to the impetus to two communication campaigns for the non-profit organization Iniciativa Internacional Jóven.
The major objective of this thesis is to analyse the given investment incentives for renewable energies, especially for photovoltaics, in Germany and to make recommendations for potential investors who are willing to invest. For this reason the author decided to check the incentives for profitability.
In the first part, the origins of and present strategies for structural changes in the energy sector are explained. The fact is that global warming mainly is man-made. Green house gas emissions should be reduced by focusing on the expansion of renewable energies. The paper then identifies the provided investment incentives and further highlights the
advantageousness of each incentive. In a detailed central section the thesis examines six model calculations. The applied method to carry out a valuation of the investment is the net present value method. Payments-in and payments-out of the potential investment are compared and discounted to determine the net present value. The results of the calculations demonstrate that selling the generated electric power completely is uneconomically due to the declining feed-in compensation. The associated investment incentives were unable to improve the result. By contrast, private consumption of the generated electric energy is gaining in importance. Energy storage devices are installed and promoted correspondingly. Consequently, the provided investment incentives are profitable and favorable. On the basis of the results of these calculations, it can be concluded that the expansion of renewable energies is an ongoing process characterized by changes in the structure of provided investment incentives. These data support the view that in the future there is going to be a strong tendency to store the electric energy generated by renewable energies.
The assembly process of the coverings of side members is the most defective process at the Plant Consolidation Center in Malsch. The difficulty is the high level of variance, the manual process control and that the components do not have a barcode. Since the labelling with a barcode is out of the question, an innovative process assurance for non system-based components by an automated photo documentation and photo plausibility should be found. The following specific questions have been posed:
1. What are the main sources of error in this process?
2. What innovative possibilities do exist to eliminate these main sources of error?
3. Is the installation of a process assurance technologically possible and economically efficient?
The main sources of error have been identified by an error analysis. These are: Taking out the right colour and variation of the coverings of side members, the assembly of the right or no trim and the right positioning of the components in the carrier of charge. The study concluded that the necessary functions of the innovative process assurance are the recognition of the colour and variation of the coverings of side members and the verification of their positions in the carrier of charge. To find out what innovative possibilities for a new process assurance do exist, the logistics trade fair „Motek“ has been visited and 13 providers has been invited to a viewing appointment. In practice, only one inspection system has achieved reliable process results. In order to that only one out of 13 providers submitted an offer. Since the payback and implementation period exceeds the contract period with the Daimler plant in Rastatt, it is not possible to generate savings within this time period. For that reason, the recommended course of action of this study is that fort he company the inspection system is only economically efficient in case of a contract extension.
The present paper deals with the development of a marketing concept for the repositioning of the water brand Wittmannsthaler towards the young and modern Black Forest. The question of which communication activities are suitable for the orientation of Wittmannsthaler towards the young and modern Black Forest is researched. The purpose of the repositioning is to achieve an emotional communication that is more attractive for customers and consumers. It tries to improve the market position as well as to expand sales territories, using low budget marketing measures. Since the young and modern Black Forest has previously not been defined in literature, it is necessary to develop a suitable definition. This definition is developed by analysing selected expert interviews. Extensive research has revealed relevant elements of the young and modern Black Forest to act upon. These areas, as well as the definition, are the bases of the marketing concept elaborated in this paper. Further, they contribute the main content of the concept. The paper concludes that the young and modern Black Forest presents a variety of possibilities for the brand Wittmannsthaler to reposition itself. The product channel and the distribution channel can be expanded. The communication activity of the brand will become more attractive for the company’s target group. Targeted customer loyalty measures will be included in the future marketing concept in order to increase customer loyalty. The marketing concept is designed in a way that all communication tools and customer loyalty programs can be combined. By doing so, time for implementation can be reduced.
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 abolition of the minimum exchange rate between the Swiss Franc and the Euro and its consequences
(2016)
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) abolished the minimum exchange rate between the Swiss Franc and the Euro of 1.20 CHF/€ at the beginning of 2015. The ensuing appreciation of the Franc against the Euro was not to be without consequences. This Bachelor´s thesis examines these consequences and to whom they may apply on the basis of a wide range of literature. Firstly, the author explains the theoretical basics of exchange rates, from the different exchange rate regimes to the appreciation and depreciation of currencies. The following chapter deals with background information of the Swiss Franc and the minimum exchange rate. Furthermore, this thesis looks at the consequences of the abolition of the minimum exchange rate and focuses, amongst other things, for example on the economy in Switzerland and the bordering Euro countries. The last part consists of a conclusion. Since the beginning of World War I, and through economic and political stability, the Swiss Franc became stronger and stronger and finally became a safe-haven-currency. During the financial crisis Switzerland received huge capital imports. To stop the on-going appreciation of the Franc, the SNB introduced the minimum exchange rate in 2011 which lasted until January 2015. For reasons like a weakening Euro and the announcement of the ECB´s quantitative easing, the SNB decided to let the Franc float freely again as it would have been too expensive for the SNB to keep the exchange rate constant at 1.20 CHF/€. Swiss exporters and hoteliers are affected by the consequences of this decision as their goods and hotel prices have become much more expensive for clients from the Euro area. The Swiss retail in the bordering area loses its clients to the other countries as they can shop cheaper over there. And everyone who has a loan or mortgage denominated in Swiss Francs and without having insured the exchange rate risk will have to pay back higher interest and loan amount. Hence,this Bachelor´s Thesis came to the conclusion that the negative consequences for the Swiss economy are still strong but the Franc devalued subsequently through a lower attractiveness and the negative interest rates which the SNB established.
In the wake of the financial crisis of 2007, the largest economies of our times struggled hard with adverse economic shocks. Several central banks (CBs) employed their conventional monetary policy tools to their limits and beyond. When failing in their attempt, unconventional monetary policies got gradually introduced in order to stimulate the overall economy, to alleviate market dysfunctions and to reduce liquidity shortages. Building on diverse research conducted by international researchers and data provided by international economic institutions, this paper gives a comprehensive overview of different types of unconventional monetary policy tools that were, and still are, broadly employed. The concept of Quantitative Easing (QE) with its opportunities and risks will be elaborated, as well as appropriate exit strategies from these unconventional monetary policy measures. Putting a special focus on the QE programs run by the Bank of Japan, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, the successes and failures of real-world examples of unconventional monetary policies will be analyzed in detail. In order to evaluate the usefulness of QE, a comparison of theoretical and real-world results will be conducted. The paper finds that even though QE had a broad range of positive effects on selected economic aspects, the risks of both over-indebtedness and a too strong dependence of economies on highly accommodative monetary policies prevail. Before considering an exit from QE – if still possible at all – many years of further monetary easing and economic stimulus will pass. The raison d’être of unconventional monetary policies, mainly QE, over an extent period of time is doubtful and will have to be closely monitored in the years to come.
The importance of internationalization to achieve a competitive advantage in the business world has increased greatly in recent years. Especially in the fashion industry, where competition has increased tremendously and globalization plays a more important role, it is essential to find new ways in order to be unique. To succeed in internationalization in the fashion industry, companies must have a basic knowledge of their markets and follow clear strategies. The purpose of this thesis is to answer the question why fashion companies nowadays need to create a competitive advantage and expand their market internationally. In addition, it will also address the challenges that an American brand can face in the European fashion industry. The company chosen for this research is Shoshanna LLC, a contemporary American women’s wear brand based in New York City.
With regard to methodology, a multi-‐purpose approach has been conducted. The conclusions have been reached with theoretical knowledge, personal experience, a survey and interviews with experts in this industry. The conclusions of this thesis will give Shoshanna LLC a better understanding of internationalization processes in the fashion industry and the strategies required. It will also answer the question of how the chosen strategies can be a guideline for the company.
Unsustainable production- and lifestyle patterns which are reaching into present have destroyed the global environment to such a degree, that severe consequence already became visible. Albert Einstein once said “A new way of thinking is necessary if humanity wants to live on.” Seeing themselves confronted with an enormous climatic change, scarce resources, and increasing inequalities, people became aware of the need for this new way of thinking - sustainable thinking. As agriculture is the sector which uses the largest amount of land it is essential that agricultural practices be performed sustainably. Instead of using more resources, farmers are called to increase their productivity by applying more efficient farming practices. By increasing productivity and efficiency, farmers could “close the gap between their actual and potential yield”. As if things weren’t tough enough as they are, the world population is increasing exponentially. As the world’s population increases, so too does the number of hungry. Therefore, the agricultural productivity needs to be increased by 70%. To achieve this goal, the smallholder sector – 84% of all people active in agriculture – needs to be empowered, enabling smallholder farmers to successfully contribute to global food security. This collaboration would generate four winners: The environment, as agricultural practices would be performed more sustainably, the world population, as there would be more food available, the smallholder farmers themselves, as they would generate more income by selling higher yields and would therefore be lifted out of poverty, and the agricultural companies, as they would gain additional trading partners. As worldwide smallholder situations differ substantially a tool – called the “Smallholder Maturity Model” - is needed to analyze the actual empowerment level of a specific smallholder population and by doing so, enabling agricultural institutions to address smallholders’ real needs and empower them long-term. The development of the aforementioned tool is based on reports published by esteemed agricultural organizations, articles written by research specialists, namable databases and interviews with internal and external specialists disposing about high class agricultural knowledge. According to the analysis-results of the present work, the smallholder farmers’ empowerment level strongly depends on being supported– in terms of financial support as well as trainings. Only smallholder farmers who are supported are able to apply good and sustainable agricultural practices, increase their efficiency and sell their yield more competitively. Therefore, the “Smallholder Maturity Model” is a helpful tool to generate a picture of the actual smallholder situation and facilitate the decision-making process of agricultural institutions interested in developing adequate supporting-strategies. In order to get country or crop specific survey results, the rating of the several possible answers could be adjusted to the specific regional conditions As the only objective is finding an effective way to empower smallholder farmers and improve their situations, both application methods are acknowledged.
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.
Expatriation
(2016)
We are taking a look at the global deployment cycle, more precisely, the repatriation stage. Today many MNCs underestimate the challenges and difficulties returning assignees face upon return. MNCs have recognized the importance of support services and assistance before and during the international assignment. Even though literature findings have confirmed repatriation to be more difficult than expatriation, only a minority of MNCs invests resources in creating an effective repatriation program. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the repatriation phase within the global deployment cycle. Different factors influencing repatriation are analyzed and essential key action steps for a successful repatriation are identified. Also a closer is taken at how expectations and the commitment of international assignees are related to repatriation. In addition, the importance of cultural agility is discussed.
How can Holidog use its touchpoints more efficiently in order to improve its performance in Germany?
(2016)
The main aim of this dissertation is to study how the company Holidog can improve the customer journey of customers in the German market, with a special focus on the evaluation of present touchpoints and actionable possibilities to create new touchpoints.
Holidog is an online platform for petsitting, present amongst others in the German market. This study focusses on improving the performance in this market by increasing traffic on the website and converting more of this traffic into bookings. Besides, it is evaluated which touchpoints are not efficient in order to free resources for more relevant touchpoints.
The sub-questions researched are:
How can Holidog increase the number of searches on the website?
How can Holidog convert more of the searches into bookings?
Which touchpoints are not efficient and could be abandoned?
The research has been conducted in the period from September 2015 to February 2016. Market information as well as company-specific information has been collected mainly through secondary data provided by the company next to eternal sources providing data about the industry. For testing new approaches, primary research through quantitative observation has been conducted.
The dissertation is structured in five main chapters: (I) Introduction presenting the research topic; (II) Theoretical basis about the petsitting industry and the company Holidog; (III) The current customer journey and all touchpoints created; (IV) Additional touchpoints the company could consider creating; (V) Overall recommendations and conclusion.
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.
Many employees use the internet for non-work related activities nowadays. This cyberslacking behaviour is put into connection with flexible work arrangements, in which the employee also completes work tasks outside of the workplace in a sort of balancing act between work and non-work. Many companies perceive cyberslacking to be deviant and counterproductive and battle it with internet monitoring systems. Other companies perceive cyberslacking to be beneficial for learning, creativity and productivity. This thesis will use Douglas McGregor’s ‘Theory X and Theory Y’ and the concepts of the Psychological Contract and Corporate Culture in order to understand the psychological background these of opposing opinions on cyberslacking and its effects on company and employee attitudes and behaviours following monitoring or acceptance of cyberslacking in a company. The results show a considerable fit to the three concepts presented in this thesis. The results suggest that the acceptance of cyberslacking has the effect of increased motivation and productivity and that monitoring and control reduce trust and productivity in total which is the opposite of the goal of monitoring systems. Future research should be conducted on the discrepancy of the positive effects of permitting cyberslacking and the increasing number of companies which use control and monitoring systems to fight it and on the underlying reasons why productivity is reduced through cyberslacking (the effect of perceived mistrust etc.).
Strategic Responses of Premium-Segment German Autos to The Global Climate Change for Thai market
(2016)
The global climate change has become an important challenge in automotive industry because CO2 emissions from the fossil fuel combustion of vehicles contribute very much to climate change, especially global warming. Consequently, the world automotive trend is moving to environmental friendly cars. Thailand has faced various catastrophes caused by climate change, especially hazard drought, floods and heat waves, so environmental friendly cars are also needed in Thailand. Since Thailand is one of the major markets of the German luxury automakers in Southeast Asia, this study investigates the competitive environments of Thailand automotive industry and forecasts the implementation of environmental friendly cars, especially flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), hybrid cars and electric vehicles (EVs). The analysis is based on the integration of valid secondary sources and expert interviews. It is found out that Thailand automobile industry is significantly attractive for the German luxury automakers in both production and domestic sales because of the availability of skilled labour, the rise of middle and upper middle class income earners, the integration of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), better developed infrastructure than other ASEAN countries, the government supports and the increasing demand of autos in Thailand and other ASEAN countries. Furthermore, Thailand can be further developed to be a production centre to export cars to other ASEAN countries and to be a market leader to align other ASEAN markets for a better and effective management as one big market. In order to respond to the force of new tax policy based on CO2 emissions, issues of climate changes and not to lose their competitive position to those Japanese automakers, within the next 5 years, the German luxury automakers should increase their product portfolio of hybrid cars in Thailand, especially plug in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Simultaneously, flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) should be also launched because of the already existing flexible fuel products of the German luxury automakers as well as the high capability of ethanol production and the increasing use of E85 in Thailand. After 2020, some EV models should be launched in Thailand. The demand for EVs in Thailand will rise because people will be willing to adopt EV technology after the launch of PHEVs in 2016 and the number of charging stations will be increased. Moreover, the use of solar cells to produce electricity for EV charging will increase because Thailand is a hot country and it is very environmental friendly.
The aim of this thesis is to gain an understanding of why and how electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is influencing consumers buying decisions, and to furthermore describe the opportunities and limitations, which using electronic word of mouth on YouTube as marketing tool represent. This thesis is a compilation of the most important studies and finding conducted in this field. It discusses the concept of word of mouth and some dimensions in which eWOM differs from its traditional counterpart and describes the most important criteria related to the influence of eWOM on consumers buying behaviours. It provides an overview of relevant studies regarding the impact of eWOM on the buying behaviour and discusses YouTube as a marketing platform. Finally, it identifies opportunities and limitations based on the previous findings related to using eWOM on YouTube as part of the marketing mix. The findings suggest that eWOM differs from its traditional counterpart mainly due to its wide and fast spread and is therefore perceived as more influential. Its influence was furthermore found to depend on factors related to the eWOM valence, the product or service addressed, the eWOM source and sender, as well as the platform used. Further, using eWOM shared on YouTube as marketing tool was identified to offer companies the opportunity to reach a wide and also usually hard-to-reach audience, increase awareness, interest and influence on consumers buying behaviour. Limitations were identified to be the uncontrollable spread, the target audience, the constant availability and uncertain credibility, risking authenticity as well as the interdependent influence.
The present study was conducted in the International Purchasing Department at the Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG which is the headquarters of the international grocery retail discounter Lidl. The subject was defined by the author in cooperation with Mr. Robert Maier, executive manager for non-food and brand, and Ms. Silvia Carazo Soto, manager for the product range development in the Lidl non-food sector. The present study has two major purposes: Firstly, to investigate how customers perceive the non-food products and sector at Lidl and secondly, to identify what characteristics they value and would like to see improved in the Lidl stores.
The goal of this present study is to determine various proposals to optimize the non-food sector of Lidl stores in order to increase customer satisfaction and sales. Data and information material for this research were gathered through the author’s mentors, colleagues, meetings, an empirical survey, internal company presentations, the company homepage, the university’s EBSCO online research database, various business press as well as scientific publications.
In the first part, a theoretical background on the subject as well as company insights into the non-food division is provided. These show that the spending power of consumers has increased, consumers are becoming progressively demanding and that Lidl is faced by strong competitors on the food retail market.
The thesis then presents the empirical study conducted by the author from 30 November 2015 until 12 December 2015. Three hundred customers in ten different Lidl stores in four German federal states were interviewed face-to-face. The survey included fifteen questions regarding the customer’s shopping behavior at Lidl, the customer’s satisfaction with regards to a non-food purchase as well as customer expectations, experience and improvement proposals of the non-food sector.
The survey results show that 77% of all participants had bought non-food products at Lidl during the six months before the survey date. Of all these participants, 75% were either very satisfied or satisfied with their non-food purchase. Furthermore, it was concluded that Lidl lives from its price-performance ratio and promotion via the Lidl leaflet in-store or distributed to home. Inferential, the survey results suggest that the product presentation and the store atmosphere need to be optimized as well as the product availability. Moreover, the results indicated that customers think that up-to-date Lidl leaflets, information boards, product brochures and a mirror need to be available at the non-food sector.
In conclusion, on the basis of the results of this research, the author recommends optimizing the non-food sector in the Lidl stores by means of five different proposals. First of all, to improve the customer experience in a Lidl store by providing a “five senses experience” and secondly to optimize in-store promotion by integrating speed-bumps and optimizing the creation and presentation of product posters, banners and product paper models. Thirdly, the author recommends introducing a digital terminal as an operation tool to order and purchase non-food products that are sold out or not available in a Lidl store with the possibility to choose a home or store delivery, to search products on the Lidl homepage and to watch non-food product videos. Furthermore, the terminal includes a built-in shelf to collect paper product brochures. Fourthly, in order to optimize the product presentation of non-food products, two proposals for a sample product presentation are made. Primarily by means of a non-food module which is attachable to a non-food table in order to present a sample either on a coat hanger or a built-in shelf or by means of a hallstand with an integrated mirror. In addition, the author presents the option of a digital mirror. The fifth proposal is a category management LED lighting module installed above the non-food tables to facilitate the customer orientation in the non-food sector. In addition, the author presents three further proposals including executing customer satisfaction survey periodically, optimizing employee training and improving the Online Shop.
In conclusion, the thesis argues that Lidl is prepared to optimize the non-food sector in the interest of increasing customer satisfaction, attracting new customers, staying competitive and trendy and increasing sales. The author recommends focusing on providing an optimized customer experience in the Lidl stores, thereby primarily focusing on the most important sense, sight. For this, an optimized sample product presentation is primarily of highest interest followed by a better in-store promotion. The present thesis hopes to offer the Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG useful ideas on how to optimize the non-food sector and thus contribute to Lidl’s company success.
The topic of the thesis is ‘‘Identification of success patterns of the most successful SAP SFSF VARs as a base to recruit new high-potential partners. A way to achieve time to revenue efficiency for new partners joining the SAP ecosystem.’’. The whole approach is based on SAP SE, an international company providing enterprise application software with a focus on cloud solutions. The objective of the thesis is to help SAP SE to expand their cloud partner ecosystem and achieve time to revenue efficiency for new partners joining SAP ecosystem. The research question explores what are the success patterns of SAP TOP 20 SuccessFactors (SFSF) value-added resellers (VARs). The aim is to use the insights as a template to recruit new partners who show high potential for future success in reselling SAP SFSF (cloud) solutions. Currently, SAP is facing a challenge to recruit partners who are successful as VARs for cloud solutions in the small and medium size enterprises (SME) market. So far, SAP focused on increasing its market coverage by continuously expanding its Ecosystem, while the quality of the recruited partners was neglected. As a result, SAP invested a lot of resources in terms of time and money trying to onboard partners who could not deliver the expected impact. Recruiting partners who have the right patterns will decrease the resources that SAP spends on onboarding and training process while at the same time the partners will generate the revenue faster. However, SAP needs to have a clear view what a high-potential partner looks like. Therefore, it could be said, that the topic of the thesis is crucial for SAP further channel development and expansion, invested resources and indirect revenue. In order to answer the research question, the whole study is divided into seven chapters. The theoretical framework provides a general idea about the importance of partners for reselling cloud services to SMEs and what are the factors and practices that make partners successful. The empirical research explores the common success patterns of the Top 20 most successful SAP SuccessFactors value-added resellers. The author came to the conclusion that in order to be achieved time to revenue efficiency, the company should recruit only those partners who are representing the following set of success patterns: international presence, quality webpage, human capital management as a core line of business, strong digital and event marketing.
Automated Advisory Services. An investigation of Efficiency on Using the Black-Litterman Model
(2016)
This thesis seeks to investigate efficiency of current portfolio theory, using the Black-Litterman Model, for creating portfolio recommendations as offered by Automated Advisory Services. These services have recently appeared, offering wealth management through a digital store front. As the human component has been removed from the equation, algorithms based on portfolio theory provide portfolio recommendations upon profiling the user of such services. Tests on parameters of the Black-Litterman Model will be run between September 2007 and December 2009, the financial crisis. The aim is to understand how efficient the parameters are able to steer the model to reflect the investor preferences, and how Black Litterman portfolios would have performed during turbulent economic times to test the efficiency claim by providers of automated advisory services.
This study explores the attitudes and perceptions of consumers of the baby boomer generation (age 50-62) concerning contents on the social media channels of Facebook and YouTube. Ten in-depth interviews are conducted in which representatives of the target group perform tasks on the two platforms such as gathering information about a firm or comparing advertisements. The main finding of the empirical research conducted is a set of preferences and attitudes about social media contents classified in following categories: 1) company profiles on Facebook 2) company channels on YouTube 3) sponsored posts on Facebook 4) sponsored search results on YouTube and 5) navigation on the two platforms. The obtained results significantly complement existing research on firm-supplied contents on social media for several reasons. Firstly, baby boomers represent a highly valuable target group as they possess immense consumption power and demonstrate high willingness to try new products and services, as well. Moreover, they increasingly join social networks, first of all Facebook,and they browse other social media channels, but they have been mostly neglected in research about social media in Germany. Secondly, this study links inbound marketing via social media to small and medium-sized enterprises. For the latter, this holds substantial benefits to facilitate being found by consumers on social media platforms in order to compete against larger firms. Therefore, implications for small business managers and marketing representatives are given. Thirdly, the study focuses on the attitudes and perceptions of consumers in order to replenish data on consumer behavior on Facebook and YouTube obtained by the algorithms of the platform providers. Therefore, it complements extensive existing studies focusing on analyzing the latter. Furthermore, the distinct advertising and targeting functions of Facebook and YouTube have been considered in the creation of the interview in pursuance of pertinent practically oriented results.
The primary purpose of this bachelor thesis is to explore the impact of information and communication technologies on the work-life boundary and to find out whether this impact constitutes a negative spillover. At the beginning of this paper, an examination of the general impacts, with an emphasis on flexibility and permanent connectivity, is conducted. In a second stage, these two major effects are assessed to find out in what way they influence the boundary between work and life. In a third stage, the finding is evaluated by analyzing the extent to which stress level, physical and mental health as well as work-life conflict and satisfaction are increased or decreased. Finally, the question concerning whether information and communication technologies are the only reason behind the change is addressed. The results of this thesis show that information and communication technologies indeed seem to lead to an increase in flexibility and permanent connectivity and therefore to a blurring of the boundary between work and life. This blurring is evaluated as being neither entirely good nor bad, as a dissolving boundary can have both positive and negative effects on stress, health, satisfaction and conflict. Furthermore, it is argued that technologies only enable change but cannot enforce it on their own. Instead, personal preference, institutional rules and culture play an important role in the determination of the extent to which individuals allow a blurring of their roles. Accordance between these factors is crucial to the health, productivity and motivation of employees.
Thus, it is recommended that employers analyze the preferences and cultural backgrounds of their employees in order to be able to provide tools and resources to blur or maintain boundaries depending on what is required
This thesis is concerned with the analysis and the improvement design of the Disposal Structure Optimization Process (DSOP) which is used by Global Flow GmbH (GF) within the waste consulting services conducted for its clients. The study is elaborated on behalf of GF that desires formalizing its procedure in order to identify deficiencies and yet unrecognized potentials to be leveraged. Thus, a process analysis according to Harrington was applied to the DSOP, in which the process was first documented through description and visualization and then evaluated in order to eventually come up with suggestions for improvement. The process-related data was drawn from interviews with GF management and evaluated from the author’s perspective. The subsequent design of an advanced DSOP was based on the previous evaluation and focused on the enhancement of the process’ value creation by providing improvement measures concerning knowledge-creation for customers, work organization for consultants and decision-making support for management. Hence, four measures were elaborated for purposeful process improvement and designed into the advanced process model: knowledge management, software support, performance measurement and a process infrastructure of standardized information flows. If implemented, the advanced process could enhance GF’s performance and support proactive consideration of strategic stakes.
The access to the Internet has enabled various peer-to-peer marketplaces to develop with fast pace and complete with traditional businesses by offering broader range of goods and services. In some cases peer-to-peer markets offer a solution to a problem, going beyond the capabilities of a traditional business. This thesis studies a particular peer-to-peer market called crowdfunding that offers a solution to individuals who require funds and has been a subject of experts’, regulators’ and media attention. In particular, the paper studies the way crowdfunding websites Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Crowdfunder match buyers and sellers and discovers that some websites might have an incentive to manipulate matching. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the pricing structure these websites use and learns that price discrimination is present in crowdfunding. Additionally, the paper investigates the most fundamental mechanism that allows Internet platforms to function, which is reputation. In particular it uncovers that the way trust is built in crowdfunding differs to certain extant to other peer-to-platforms and that this questions requires further research. Finally, after looking at the arising regulatory issues, it becomes clear that there are opposing opinions of experts and regulators about regulation of crowdfunding that create both fear and hope. Privacy and data usage by the crowdfunding websites seems to be an issue that also requires further attention.
The following bachelor thesis was written in cooperation with the company GF Automotive AG located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. It is a worldwide recognized development and serial production partner of the automotive industry. The thesis covers the topic ‘The potential of gaining competitive advantage through Green Marketing’. The purpose of this thesis is to research if sustainability within the automotive supply industry is of high importance and can be used to gain competitive advantage. The thesis offers possible measures to implement successful practices that were detected in the conducted benchmark. It points out that green marketing in the B2B business can support companies to differentiate and it illustrates how marketing communication of the company GF Automotive AG can be adapted in order to succeed and remain leader in the highly competitive automotive supply market
Advanced sales approach to increase professional fairs participation: international experience
(2016)
The following bachelor thesis was written in cooperation with Hannover Fairs USA, Inc. (HFUSA), which is the Deutsche Messe AG’s (DMAG) U.S. subsidiary. DMAG in Hannover, Germany, is one of the biggest and most active event organizers in the world. The target region of the HFUSA office is North America. Their function is to host industrial trade shows in Chicago and to sell exhibit space at their parent company’s shows in Germany to American companies. The focus of the thesis will be on the DMAG’s CeMAT show which serves the intralogistic and material handling industry. The topic of the thesis is ‘Evolving a structured and advanced sales approach to enhance the number of American companies, participating at the Deutsche Messe’s CeMAT show.’ The research focus is on the intralogistic and material handling industry, the meaningfulness of trade shows and various skills and processes of sales theory. Furthermore, it places emphasis on corporate and sales strategy. The thesis offers possible measures which should serve c-level employees of the company as a basis for creating a more standardized corporate, marketing, and sales strategy to streamline the process amongst employees, to enhance sales processes, improve efficiency and therefore increase revenue in the long run. This will also positively influence the process of achieving their goal of enhancing the number of participating U.S. companies at the CeMAT show in Hannover.
Crowdfunding is one of the greatest financial innovations in finance today, which acts as a financing alternative for start-ups. The advantages provided in this financial structure not only enable entrepreneurs to realise their dream of raising capital but it also enables them to learn more about their product, establish a pre-customer base, pre-sales as well as build their brand though leveraging the internet as a marketing platform for their projects. Start-ups that have succeeded in raising their target funds, acknowledge the benefits they received. Even those that did not achieve their goal still appreciate the experience because through the feedback they receive from the public, they are able to enhance their product and make better decisions for their next projects. Also backers benefit significantly depending on their position; for instance, upon success startups acquire funds, donors on reward- and support-based platforms receive small gifts such as Tshirts, acknowledgements, on pre-purchase platforms backers receive discounts on pre-purchases and in a special case of crowdinvesting, investors receive dividends or equity from the start-up. Also, crowdfunding platform-administrators benefit from it when start-ups accomplish their goal. Start-ups may approach investors, business angels and banks for capital; however, the probability of acquiring funds is subsided and they also do not provides them additional benefits like those crowdfunding delivers. The crowdfunding process is one of the easiest means of funding startups’projects in comparison to that involved whilst seeking funds from banks and venture capitalists as well as business angels.
The major aim of this paper is to analyse how crowdfunding has simplified the means of raising capital for start-ups and how this modern financial instrument is anticipated to develop in the next five years. Withal, the paper seeks to show how crowdfunding has enabled startups to curb their financial predicaments. The paper will firstly, provide the foundation of crowdfunding, including success factors of start-ups. Next the author will analyse how crowdfunding platform operate, then its significance to start-ups including the risks involved. The author will investigate crowdfunding in Europe, America and Australia. Results from the Interviews conducted with start-up founder Dominick Solenick and platform CEOs from Switzerland will be illustrated. Finally, a conclusion based on this research will be provided.
In the current difficult climate for international aviation especially in Europe and the USA, one sector is performing extremely well, the so-called low cost carriers. While the flagcarriers are experiencing severe difficulties, withdrawing from routes and cutting staff, the low cost sector continues to expand at a tremendous pace. Since their entry in various countries in the late 90’s, low cost carriers have grown to even become dominant players on a significant number of intra-national short haul routes. Although the severe competition of low-cost airlines is observable in many industrialized countries nowadays, our focus in this paper will be restricted to the US market which at many levels appear to be interesting and the perfect case to illustrate the impact of low-cost carriers on the domestic aviation market. The extent to which this expansion affects the traditional airline networks in other terms the so-called legacy or network carriers, poses interesting questions for the US airline industry and policy makers. As a pre-requisite to analyze the current situation of the US airline market with regards to the impact low-cost carriers, it is crucial to have a historical background on the domestic US aviation and to understand the role of antitrust policies. First of all, until 1978 the US airline industry was regulated by the US government, allowing only few carriers, the network carriers. Those carriers are therefore the historical carriers. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was the economic regulatory body for airlines that controlled airline schedules, fares, and routes, which essentially allowed U.S. airlines to exercise monopoly power. In 1975, the CAB’s Special Staff did a self-study of the organization and concluded that the amending federal law to eliminate “protective entry, exit, and price control” would be beneficial for the airline market. It was believed that the industry was naturally competitive and there did not appear to be any significant barriers to entry nor substantial economies of scale that would limit the number of efficient and profitable firms. Therefore, the Airline deregulation Act of 1978 eliminated economic regulation of the airline industry. The deregulation allowed many carriers to enter the industry, existing carriers to expand their operations, competition to flourish and air fares to
fall. Monopoly markets were now only present on the smallest city-pair markets which lacked enough traffic to support more than one airline. After deregulation, Southwest Airlines initiated the budget flight in Dallas, Texas.
With flights turning profitable in 1973 and remaining so ever since, former lawyer Herb Kelleher proved the viability of low cost flights. In terms of passengers carried each year, Southwest is now the biggest airline in the USA and the second biggest airline in the world. Although entering the airline industry was relatively easy, successfully overcoming the advantages of larger incumbents proved to be more difficult. The deregulation greatly illustrated the relevance of Paul Gerdoski’s arguments about the effect of market entry. Firstly, market entries increased industry competition and forced the traditional network carriers to increase their efficiency leading to lower fares and better service on many routes. Secondly it fostered industry innovation with the appearance and growth of low cost carriers.
The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the need and prospects of implementing a Social Media advertising strategy in order to increase customer awareness in the United States for an innovative scuba diving product called “Buddy-Watcher”. This product was introduced to the German market in November 2014 by Free-Linked GmbH, which specializes in scuba diving communication and comfort equipment.
The employed investigation approach includes a quantitative research conducted by means of an online survey among a nonprobability sample via self-administered questionnaires. By collecting and analyzing primary data, this exploratory study aims to provide first insights on the value and the perception of potential customers towards Social Media advertising activities. Furthermore, a SWOT analysis was carried out based on the theoretical research as well as the findings of the survey to deliver a specific recommended course of action for businesses like Free-Linked GmbH. The results provide indications for the effectiveness of Social Media advertising regarding the creation of awareness for a product, yet not necessarily its purchase. Small and medium sized businesses have the opportunity to benefit from this type of advertising, if the preferences of the target group can be identified and taken into consideration. Hence, this work serves as a basis for further decision-making, whereas future research could consider the effect of various advertisement options or other Social Media alternatives for targeting US customers by employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative research designs.