Open Access

Die vorliegende Ausarbeitung gibt einen Überblick über den Umgang mit projektbezogenen Veränderungen in Unternehmen. Eine Vielzahl gescheiterter Veränderungsprojekten in der Praxis (59 % der Veränderungsprojekte scheitern laut IBM) gibt Anlass um den Fragen nachzugehen wie Unternehmen, aber vor allem die Metabowerke GmbH, Veränderungen zukünftig erfolgreich umsetzen und in den Betriebsablauf verankern können. Weiterhin wird die Frage erläutert, wie dabei die Mitarbeiter mit einbezogen werden können um Widerstände zu vermeiden. Zur Beantwortung der Fragen wurde im Unternehmen eine Mitarbeiterbefragung, ein Benchmark, sowie eine interne Prozessanalyse bei den Metabowerken durchgeführt. Hieraus konnten Erfolgsfaktoren abgeleitet und somit Handlungsempfehlungen ausgesprochen werden. Es konnte herausgefunden werden, dass Wandel bzw. Veränderung immer auf verschiedenen Ebenen stattfindet: Auf Führungs-, Unternehmens-, Mitarbeiter- und Prozessebene. Bei Veränderungen müssen immer alle Ebenen berücksichtigt werden. Die Mitarbeiter stellen den Hauptfokus von Veränderungen dar und sollten anhand entsprechender Partizipations- und Kommunikationsmaßnahmen permanent integriert werden. Nur so können Widerstände reduziert und Veränderungen erfolgreich umgesetzt werden. The thesis presents suggestions on how to manage project-based changes in organizations. IBM stated in 2008 that 59 % of changes implemented in organizations failed. This begs the question of how to manage and implement change successfully. A special focus will be paid on the Metabowerke GmbH. Second, how can employees be integrated in the change management process to reduce resistance. In this context, an employee survey, a benchmark, and a process analysis were conducted. Based on the data, success factors were defined, with suggestions for improvement. It can be summed up, that change always takes place at different levels: At the organizational, the process, the employees and the management level. For change to be implemented successfully and reduce resistance all levels have to be considered. The main focus is on the employees. By using different participation and communications measures, employee’s resistance can be reduced. They should be integrated during the whole change management process.

Vorteile und Herausforderungen beim Einsatz digitaler Medien werden aus den Perspektiven der Lernenden, Lehrenden und der Bildungseinrichtungen beschrieben. Aufgrund der Verbreitung digitaler Gerate und des Internet ist die Kombination von digitalen Medien mit anderen Lernformen fast schon zur Regel geworden. Es wird ein Vorgehen beschrieben, um digitale Medien und andere Lernformen didaktisch funktional miteinander zu kombinieren und auf diese Weise innovative Lernszenarien zu entwickeln.

Die VBM Medizintechnik GmbH hat sich in der Vergangenheit bewusst gegen den Direktvertrieb entschieden, obwohl die meisten Mitbewerber diesen Absatzkanal zur Umsatzgenerierung einsetzen. Divergierende Marktbedingungen, ein sich veränderndes Einkaufsverhalten und neue Distributionswege, die durch das Internet entstanden sind, lassen das Unternehmen an der Modernität und Potenzialausschöpfung der aktuellen Vertriebsstrategie zweifeln. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht, ob die Firma den Direktvertrieb implementieren sollte. Anhand verschiedener Methoden, wie bspw. der SWOT-Analyse, werden die Vor- und Nachteile der unterschiedlichen Absatzkanäle sowie der derzeitigen Vertriebsstrategie kritisch bewertet. Außerdem erfolgt eine Analyse des Medizintechnikmarkts in Deutschland. Es geht hervor, dass Verbesserungspotenzial in der Distributionsstrategie besteht und das Absatzsystem der VBM Medizintechnik GmbH an neue Marktbedingungen angepasst werden muss.

Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit gibt einen Überblick darüber, wie Unternehmen ihre Treibhausgasemissionen managen können. Dazu wird die Deutsche Post AG als Beispiel herangezogen. Im ersten Teil werden relevante theoretische Grundlagen behandelt. Es wird gezeigt, dass der Transport eine der Hauptquellen ist, die am meisten Emissionen produzieren. Um dem entgegenzuwirken, will die Logistikbranche grüne und umweltfreundlichere Lösungen anbieten. Für eine erfolgreiche Darstellung und Messung der Treibhausgase greifen Unternehmen auf das Controlling Instrument, das Carbon Accounting genannt wird, zurück. Mit Hilfe des Carbon Accountings ist es möglich ein regelmäßiges Reporting über den Verbrauch von Energie und Kraftstoffen zu erstellen. Im zweiten Teil, werden die Emissionswerte der Deutschen Post dargestellt. Es wird zudem gezeigt, dass ein konzernweites Effizienzmanagement mit Hilfe des Carbon Accounting angewendet wird und dass das Unternehmen somit in 10 Jahren ihre CO2-Effizienz erfolgreich um 30% verbessern konnte.

Digitalization is one of the global megatrends of the 21st century. With the increase of mobile technology, constant connectivity, and data analytics, organizations are forced to become more digital to keep up with the increasingly digital world. This research addresses the changing role of leadership due to digitalization. It examines factors which need to be considered when driving digital transformation in organizations as well as leadership competencies necessary in the digital age. Finally, the research addresses the resistance to digital transformation in organizations. To investigate how leadership is affected by digitalization, qualitative research is carried out. The research is based on published secondary data. The findings of this research suggest the growing importance of leadership in the digital age. Leadership needs to approach digitalization actively, thus driving digital transformation in organizations to stay competitive in the increasingly digital world. Further, the research suggests six leadership competencies which are essential in times of digital transformation and identifies two leadership roles which have arisen in recent years due to digitalization. Finally, the research proposes ways to overcome resistance to digital transformation.

The main goal of the study is to analyze students’ buying intention towards e-learning program by developing a structural model of e-learning acceptance by the students and analyzing perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes, subjective norms, motivations and buying intentions according to the developed model.

Even though women and men have entered the managerial ranks of organizations to the almost same numbers, women still remain drastically underrepresented. Of the Fortune 500 CEO positions only 5.2% and about 21.2% (Catalyst 2018) of the board seats are held by female leaders. For women of color the numbers are shockingly low. These women are almost absent on most Fortune 500 companies and only hold 3.1% of board seats in this category (Catalyst 2015). In Europe however, the percentage of female director at STOXX 600 companies has increased constantly over the past years and therefore resulted in slightly better numbers. By 2015 almost 25% of directors were female and the average percentage of female holding board seats made 2.8% (EWoB 2015). Research of Carter, N.M. and Silva, C. (2010) shows, that even if women are graduating from global leading business schools their career progress lags in comparison to their male counterparts. This means that despite the organizations efforts of implementing gender discrimination policies and focusing on gender equality, they have not been able to fuel women´s career development (Ely et al. 2011). But why do organizations still struggle to increase the number of female leaders today? This report will elaborate possible factors that are causing failing attempts of organizations in general to then conclude a strategic solution for Philips to successfully change their people strategy towards gender equality. Research shifted from the assumption of intentional gender discrimination within companies towards invisible barriers that cause thriving women not to reach the top (Ely et al. 2011). Those barriers are deeply rooted assumptions about gender that have a long history in the evolution of our society. Starting with how society is influencing how people think about women being leaders and the assumptions they make about the ability one being a leader based on gender (Anderson et al. 2006; Eagly, Carli 2003). The key to success might be a shift in people´s mindset. Here fore, this report will introduce the reader to the problematic of the unconscious bias (Cheryl Staats 2014). Speaking of invisible barriers this theory might be the most important factor for organizations to make a difference. However, the question of why so many women get stuck in the c-suite remains unanswered. One answer to this question repeatedly pops up in research reports and papers which is “Glass Ceiling” (Susan Chira 2017). Because gender equality becomes more and more important for organizations in order to stay competitive, Philips decided to shift its people strategy towards “Inclusion & Diversity” in 2017 (Jong, de 2017). The reason for this shift also lies within the innovative aspect. Diversity fosters creativity and therefor innovation which is a differentiator for Philips. However, this report tries to answer the question on how Philips can actually increase the number of senior female leaders. It will identify possible barriers that need to be removed in order to support the development of female employees to the top ranks of management. The structure or this report is as followed. Chapter 1 will introduce the reader to the research structure to set expectations and give an overview about how the content has been created. Chapter 2 will introduce Philips as an organization after the split of Philips Lighting in 2012. Showing how the function of Human Resource Management is structured and what parts of it are directly influenced by the set KPI. To give an overview on the literature that has been conducted and therefore methodology, chapter 3 will offer explanation on basic concepts that have a direct impact on women in leadership. Here the report will start to focus on gender diversity and two major obstacles women have to overcome in today’s workplace in order to be successful. Chapter 4 will provide a deep dive into the internal talent management processes of Philips and identify possible improvement areas. Chapter 5 will then analyze common concepts on how to support the development senior female leaders and show opportunities as well as limitations for Philips. Moreover it will be discussed how to best merge external concepts with internal processes in order to build a framework for the organization and its workforce. Finally, the importance of engaging men into the discussion of gender diversity will be underlined. Analyzing possible barriers men experience to determine what prevented them in the past to join the gender discussion. Possible solutions will be identified on how to remove those barriers. Chapter 6 will summarize the findings of this report. It will be discussed how the new approach can be realized for Philips as an organization.

Organized, competitive computer gaming, also referred to as eSports, are emerging sports within the sports entertainment industry. The industry generated almost 700 million U.S. Dollar in revenue and leading eSport titles attract millions of viewers to their events. This study aims to explore eSport live broadcasts of four leading titles and their appeal to be used as a communication media for marketers. It adopted secondary data from academic and scientific studies, journals and books from the fields of eSports, business and sports management to examine commercials, product placements, sponsorships and celebrity endorsements in regards of their applicability and effectiveness within eSports. Quantitative research in form of a survey among eSports viewership was carried out to gather data on viewership consumption patterns and perceptions towards said communication instruments and their effectiveness. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of commercials rely on the timing shown during broadcasts. Product placements can be applied in many ways and show high effectiveness in terms of brand recognition in any form. Celebrity endorsements are highly ambiguous in terms of their applicability and effectiveness.

Digitalization has made business virtual. As the current workforce is slowly adapting to it, the “digital natives” come into play. We all know, that Millennials have a different approach to media and virtuality. They are practically born with it. But how would they perform if they had to use virtual media in a professional setting? Does the experience and the technology surrounded upbringing give them a clear advantage? Or will they struggle with this entirely new dimension of communication the same way older generations do? This Thesis focusses on the challenges of virtual teams, predominantly in cross cultural situations. But especially on how Millennials tackle virtual teams in a global setting, if they did not have extensive prior preparation. The first part tries to identify the theoretical background of this paper – the classical challenges of cross-cultural communication in virtual teams but also the willingness of Millennials to use digital work tools for their future. The main segment then introduces data and observations collected on the GVT project - a pilot project from the Hochschule Furtwangen University, where students from Spain, Finland and Germany took part in a simulation of virtual teamwork. In groups, these students had to develop a project about Erasmus at their university – but purely virtual to experience physical borders in teams. A pre-survey and a post survey have been carried out on this group to analyze and investigate how perception and reality differ. Furthermore, the participants left testemonials and many virtual meetings were monitored. This Thesis will conclude with chapter 3 to show if Millennials have a valid advantage in working with virtual teams. It will also show the necessity to train young people and change our education to a more digital approach, as business will inevitably become increasingly virtual.