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This thesis examines Life Cycle Costing through a literature review and a fictional case study. It explores key challenges faced in implementing and utilizing Life Cycle Costing, proposes strategies for overcoming these challenges, and evaluates the potential impact of early integration of this technique on decision-making processes. Additionally, by use of the case study, the thesis exemplifies how Life Cycle Costing identifies trade-offs that would otherwise have remained unnoticed. The case study highlights how the implementation of the technique unveils that the option initially expected to be more costly turns out to be more economical. The findings underscore the superiority of the Life Cycle Costing methodology, questioning the narrow focus on immediate costs in traditional cost accounting, opening the door to a business model where long-term cost savings are recognized and valued.
Diese Bachelorarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Forschungsfrage, wie die Materialwirtschaft die Kosten im Gastgewerbe beeinflusst und untersucht zudem, wie eine möglichst bessere Materialwirtschaft zu mehr Leistungsfähigkeit sowie Kostensenkung beitragen kann. Auf der Grundlage einer eingehenden Problemanalyse anhand eines Beispielrestaurants und einer gründlichen Untersuchung der theoretischen Herausforderungen im Gastgewerbe werden verschiedene Aspekte der Materialwirtschaft analysiert.
Die Forschungsmethode dieser Arbeit besteht aus einer empirischen Analyse und einem theoretischen Rahmen, wobei Daten aus dem Beispielrestaurant und aus relevanten Literaturquellen verwendet werden.
Die Ergebnisse der Analyse deuten darauf hin, dass saisonale Schwankungen, Wagniskosten sowie Abfallmengen und inflationsbedingte Kostensteigerungen erhebliche Herausforderungen für die Materialwirtschaft im Gaststättengewerbe darstellen.
Diese Untersuchung liefert bedeutende Erkenntnisse für die Gastronomen im Bereich der Materialwirtschaft und widmet sich als Grundlage für die Entwicklung neuer Strategien zur Kostenoptimierung und Leistungssteigerung im Gaststättengewerbe. Mit Hilfe dieser Erkenntnisse können Restaurantbetriebe ihre Rentabilität verbessern und zudem auf langfristiger Basis erfolgreich am Markt wirtschaften.
Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit untersucht die aktuelle steuerliche Behandlung
von Kryptowährungen und Krypto-Assets im deutschen Steuerrecht von Privatpersonen
und aus gewerblicher Sicht und hat zum Ziel, deren steuerliche Besonderheiten
umfassend darzustellen. Dabei werden zunächst verschiedene Arten
und Transaktionen von Krypto-Assets erläutert und die rechtlichen Grundlagen
und steuerlichen Regelungen für den Umgang mit Krypto-Assets beleuchtet. Anschließend
werden verschiedene Steuerarten analysiert. Bei der Analyse wird die
Besteuerung von Gewinnen aus den verschiedenen Arten von Transaktionen mit
Krypto-Assets, wie dem Handel oder Einkünften aus Mining, Lending und Staking
in bestehende Steuerkategorien eingeordnet. Die Analyse trägt zu einem besseren
Verständnis der steuerlichen Herausforderungen im Zusammenhang mit
Krypto-Assets bei und bietet eine Orientierungshilfe für alle, die sich für Krypto-
Investitionen interessieren.
Unternehmenserfolg wird häufig durch die Subtraktion der Kosten vom Umsatz berechnet. Niedrigere Kosten tragen dabei maßgeblich zur Wirtschaftlichkeit von Unternehmen bei. Die Budgetierung ist ein beliebtes Werkzeug, Kosteneffizienz zu erzielen und die vorhandenen Mittel im Unternehmen optimal zu verteilen. In der Theorie werden dabei die verschiedensten Verfahren beschrieben, welche in der Unternehmenspraxis Anwendung finden. In dieser Arbeit wird die Umstellung von der traditionellen Budgetierung zu Zero-Base Budgeting für die Gemeinkosten im Privatkunden Geschäftsbereich bei Vodafone untersucht. Die Implementierung von Zero-Base Budgeting führte zu mehr Transparenz und Kostensensibilität in den Fachbereichen, war aber mit enormem Aufwand und Unklarheiten verbunden. Die Soll-Situation wurde durch die Anwendung von Optimierungspotentialen aus der Literatur formuliert und verspricht mehr Kosteneffizienz und weniger Unklarheiten durch die Einführung von Leistungsniveaus und einem Budgetschnitt. Mögliche Herausforderungen bei der Anwendung sind dabei die Annahme eines neuen Prozesses und die Durchführbarkeit von Leistungsniveaus und die Rangfolge der Entscheidungspakete.
The Bachelor Thesis examines the effects of the integration of environmental, social and governmental (ESG) criteria in equity funds on performance compared to conventional equity funds. For this purpose, a quantitative analysis is carried out which includes a detailed examination of 769 equity funds. The equity funds are divided into two different groups - ESG equity funds and conventional equity funds - and are analyzed for various financial ratios. The goal of the study is to illustrate the financial performance differences between ESG-focused equity funds and conventional equity funds and thus provide a scientific contribution to the academic debate on sustainable investments. Initially, the thesis delves into the central concepts of ESG, the historical development of investment funds, theoretical frameworks, and existing studies. The following analysis provides an insight into the relationship between ESG criteria and the performance of equity funds. It not only draws on two different ESG rating systems, but also provides a geographical breakdown. Although the work as a whole helps to develop a deeper understanding of sustainable investment and highlights potential implications for investors and the financial sector, the results of the analysis show that more research is needed in this area.
Analysis of Fintech Markets
(2023)
The technological advancement in the business sector, in particular in the banking world, forces the financial sector to adapt its services. The Fintech companies aim to cope with these advancements and change the money management for clients. The question that arises is how the FinTech companies have developed and if they are profitable. That is the reason for the research of the development of the Fintech companies theoretically and practically, focusing on their financial performance. The methodology used in this paper is for the first chapter gathering existing knowledge of previous studies and including law directives to underline the development and in the second chapter using the information available from the companies itself. One can conclude the development of the acceptance of digitalized banks have increased after the economic crisis in 2008. Furthermore, the regulatory systems have problems coping with the velocity of change and the income of new products and services. The practical analysis of the FinTech companies show, that they do have certain advantages for clients, but are not immune against economic volatility. Having analyzed existing companies is beneficiary for the research field, as for now no practical analysis of the companies have been done. Nevertheless, the limitation of this research is due to the fact of probable biased information from the companies.
The financial markets are currently facing uncertain circumstances, which is increasing their tail risk. A recent study was conducted to measure the tail connectedness between North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The study looked at 18 stock market indices using a neural network quantile regression approach from January 4, 2012, to May 5, 2022. The study found that the North American, European, and Latin American stock markets had the highest exposure to tail risk, while Asia and Oceania showed no significant risk compared to the rest of the world indices and were independent. The study also identified the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic as intense events that yielded high tail risk. The Systematic Fragility Index ranked the pre-COVID period stock market and the Nasdaq during the COVID sample as the most susceptible markets. On the other hand, the Systematic Hazard Index identified the S&P as the chief risk contributor in the system.
Artificial intelligence is a disruptive technology, offering increasingly more opportunities to companies. However, the low digital maturity of the private banking sector, makes it hard for private banks to take advantage of this opportunity. Simultaneously, customers are expecting more digital solutions, forcing companies to adapt their services.
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview, drawing conclusions about whether the implementation of AI technologies is profitable in the private banking sector.
This thesis is based on recent research about current possible applications and the respective benefits, risks and costs. Two use cases will be thoroughly analysed: the application of automated credit risk management systems and AI powered indexes. In the first case, the software NOLA 2.0 will be evaluated and used as a benchmark to highlight the positive and negative aspects deriving from AI credit risk management software. In the second case, the AI powered index AiPEXAR will be presented and compared to the most common ETF S&P 500, analysing the differences in their computation and their performance over time.
The analysis concluded that, even though the benefits substantially depend on the individual company, AI chatbots, customers' engagement, credit risk management software and banking apps are advantageous for private banks. Yet, the implementation of AI powered indexes may be precocious and therefore not yet profitable. It can also be concluded that for private banks, whose core competitive advantage lies in the expertise of the relationship managers, the digitalization of advisory may lead to unsatisfied customers.
This Thesis analyses the difference in the impact of the issuance of a green bond on the stock prices of the issuing entity by country, using an event study approach of 135 green bonds, by comparing the actual daily returns of the event window with the expected returns calculated from the estimation window. With only a slight influence of the country found, further factors effecting the impact are considered. While we conclude that German issuers tend to see a stronger impact than most issuers from other European countries, factors such as the risk of greenwashing, time of issuance, industry, and firm fundamentals appear to skew this impact so that it is not possible to make a definitive statement about the impact of the country of origin on the effectiveness of green bond issuances at providing excess stock returns.
This thesis examines the relationship between environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores and portfolio returns using ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and statistical tests. ESG scores were collected from Refinitiv Datastream between January 2007 and February 2023 and consist primarily of companies listed in the Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) Index. The risk factors were calculated using data from Kenneth R. French’s data library. OLS regressions are used to estimate abnormal returns. The portfolios are created by dividing stocks into five equal quantiles and allocating them to five portfolios according to their ESG scores. The portfolios were then reconstructed each year based on the company's ESG rating. This analysis concludes that there is no significant evidence of abnormal returns for high-rated ESG portfolios. Instead, it shows that the portfolio with the lowest 20% ESG ratings outperformed all other portfolios, including the sample market, over the indicated period.
Im Gegensatz zum privaten Sektor sind Non-Profit-Organisationen oft dazu verpflichtet, Verwaltungs- und Betriebskosten unter den wachsamen Augen der Gemeinden oder Spender zu minimieren. Enge Betriebsbudgets, hohe Arbeitsbelastung und Verwirrung darüber, wie strategische Planung effektiv durchgeführt werden kann, sind alles Faktoren, die dazu führen können, dass Führungskräfte von Non-Profit-Organisationen vor strategischen Planungsinitiativen zurückschrecken.
Allerdings ist es ohne eine strategische Planung, die von Missionen und Werten geleitet wird, schwer für eine Non-Profit-Organisation, kurz- sowie langfristige Entscheidungen zu treffen. Dadurch wird die Fähigkeit der Organisation beeinträchtigt, die operative Kapazität zu erhöhen, innerhalb des Budgets zu arbeiten, die Fähigkeiten der Mitarbeiter zu verbessern und die Bedürfnisse der Stakeholder zu erfüllen.
Konflikte und sich widersprechende Arbeitsprioritäten, rückläufige Einnahmen oder Finanzierungsquellen, mehr Arbeit mit weniger Personal, steigende Kosten und ein Mangel an effektiven Ansätzen zur Planung und Umsetzung von Strategien sind Herausforderungen, mit denen Non-Profit-Organisationen konfrontiert sind. Der Erfolg von privaten Unternehmen wird anhand der Investitionsrendite und der Gewinnmargen gemessen, während der Erfolg in Non-Profit-Organisationen hauptsächlich durch die Zufriedenheit der Interessengruppen und der Kostenkontrolle erreicht wird.
Um die Herausforderungen der Durchführung und Umsetzung strategischer Planung zu meistern, bietet sich das Balanced Scorecard-Modell von Kaplan und Norton an. Dies ist ein praktisches Instrument, um strategische Themen und Ziele zu definieren, Strategien auf allen Ebenen der Organisation umzusetzen und die Leistung zu messen. Die Balanced Scorecard kann von den Managern dazu benutzt werden, um den operativen Erfolg einer Organisation durch direkte Ursache-Wirkungs-Zusammenhänge im täglichen Betrieb zurückzuverfolgen.
Konkret lässt sich sagen, dass die Balanced Scorecard als Problemlösung für folgende Punkte eingesetzt werden kann:
Das gesamte Geschehen im Betrieb in seiner Vielschichtigkeit erfassen und auf Teilbereiche simplifizieren, die für alle Mitarbeiter sichtbar und zugänglich sind. Die Operationalisierung der Visionen sowie der sich daraus ergebenden Ziele im Hinblick auf die Strategie entwickeln. Diese strategischen Ziele an jeden Mitarbeiter kommunizieren. Die Strategien im Tagesgeschäft in Bezug auf die Finanzen verankern. Eine Angleichung der Strategien an den sich wandelnden Status Quo vornehmen.
Auf diese Weise wird die Verantwortung dort konzentriert, wo auch die dazugehörenden Abläufe seinen Verlauf nehmen. Dies hat zur Folge, dass das Unternehmen an Flexibilität gewinnt und unter den Mitarbeitern Vertrauen und Motivation hergestellt beziehungsweise verstärkt werden. Somit kann ein Wandel der Unternehmenskultur erreicht werden.
This bachelor thesis provides an overview of the tax and business aspects of transfer pricing in multinational corporations.
The aim of the thesis is to answer the following research question: "How does transfer pricing in multinational groups influence company performance and tax burden and what potentials and challenges does it pose for companies? The answer to this question was the subject of a comprehensive literature review and a critical analysis of this literature.
In addition to the conceptual basics, the business and tax types, functionali-ties, methods and other relevant aspects of transfer pricing are presented by way of example. In this context, it was found that there are various potentials and challenges arising from transfer pricing for multinational corporations. This study shows the complexity of the transfer pricing issue as well as its potentials and challenges for companies. In order to exploit the identified potentials and overcome the challenges, multinational corporations should adopt a holistic, responsible and forwardlooking approach to transfer pricing.
While ESG investing has presented an impressive growth history within institutional investing in the past, this thesis aims to investigate whether impact investing could potentially mirror the ESG investing success story going forward. For that reason, the thesis analyses the past success of ESG investing and compares this to the less established investing practice of impact investing in order to find necessary requirements for the volume of impact investing to grow. After comparing the characteristics of ESG investing and impact investing and after analysing suitable asset classes and potential investors for both investment trends, four key success factors for the progress of institutional impact investing have been identified. These are (1) a general interest in society and the investment community for more direct social and environmental impact, (2) the existence of suitable investment products, (3) a regulatory framework that allows and incentivizes institutional investors to purchase impact investment products and (4) a mechanism with which impact investments products can be objectively classified and their impact can be objectively measured. While the first three success factors should not hinder the future growth of impact investing, the problem of objectively classifying and measuring an impact investment seems difficult to overcome in the near future.
The emergence of cryptocurrencies has sparked significant debate regarding their role in modern financial systems. This thesis addresses two main aspects of cryptocurrencies: their viability as an investment asset and their potential to replace conventional fiat money. It especially focuses on Bitcoin and digs into the multidimensional nature of cryptocurrencies. This study clarifies the conflict between the perceived potential of cryptocurrencies as a respectable form of investment and their perceived speculative nature, as seen by their relationship with gambling-like behavior, through a thorough investigation.
Examining Bitcoin's price volatility, market acceptance, and correlation with conventional financial assets are all important parts of the inquiry into the investment possibilities of this digital currency. The magic triangle of investing will be used as an approach to analyze the returns, liquidity and risks and compare Bitcoin with other investing assets.
Furthermore, this study examines the viability of Bitcoin, as a replacement for fiat money by reconstructing Friedrich August von Hayek's monetary theory. The analysis covers the underlying technologies of cryptocurrencies, the idea of decentralized ledger systems, and the possibility of creating a reliable and effective means of exchange. This study evaluates whether cryptocurrencies could overcome the constraints and difficulties of conventional fiat currencies by contrasting Hayek's theories with the distinctive characteristics of cryptocurrencies.
This paper deals with the topic of “Liebhaberei in the income tax law - Doubtful questions on the tax topic of “Liebhaberei” on the example of the seven types of income of the income tax law as well as the current photovoltaic regulations.” In the following, questions of doubt concerning the tax topic of “Liebhaberei” shall be raised and analyzed using the example of the seven types of income of the Income Tax Law as well as the current photovoltaic regulations and, if possible, solutions shall be proposed. This paper will first give an overview of the basics of the subject of “Liebhaberei.”. In the consideration a focus is put thereby on “Liebhaberei” with incomes from trade enterprise in accordance with § 15 EStG as well as incomes from letting and leasing in accordance with § 21 EStG. Special features of the individual types of income to be taken into account in the “Liebhaberei.” audit, as well as audit schemes, are dealt with and, if necessary, supplemented and the legal consequences resulting from the hobby are illuminated. The focus will also be on income from commercial operations in accordance with § 15 of the German Income Tax Law (EStG).
Finally, the BMF letter of 29.10.2021 will be analyzed and the right of application and the associated requirements will be examined.
Das Ziel in der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, die Frage zu beantworten, welche Chancen und Hindernisse sich durch die Digitalisierung im Controlling ergeben. Um diese Fragestellung auf die Praxis zu beziehen, wird das Konzept und die Einführung eines Prototyps beschrieben, der die Digitalisierung und insbesondere die Prozessautomatisierung im Materialkosten-Controlling der Mercedes-Benz AG vorantreiben soll. Der Zusammenhang zwischen dem theoretischen und praktischen Teil wird hergestellt, indem untersucht wird, ob die in der Fachliteratur vorgeschlagene Methode der Prozessautomatisierung auf das Praxisbeispiel der Mercedes-Benz AG passt. Zur Beantwortung der theoretischen Forschungsfrage wurde eine umfangreiche Literaturrecherche durchgeführt, während die praktische Forschungsfrage mit Experteninterviews fundiert wurde. Die Arbeit untersucht den Einsatz von digitalen Technologien und IT-Systemen im Controlling und stellt fest, ob die Unternehmen in der Lage sind, Digitalisierung in der Praxis umzusetzen. Die Herausforderungen dabei sind das Vorhandensein einer korrekten Datenbasis und die Weiterentwicklung der Kompetenzen der Mitarbeitenden. Auf Basis der vorliegenden Arbeit wird empfohlen, sich stärker auf eine vollständige und korrekte Datenbasis und auf eine kohärente und umfangreiche Integration der Systeme zu konzentrieren.
The goal of this study is to answer if the corona pandemic changed the risk aversiveness and risk tolerance of young German adults and how it changed their decisions when investing in shares, by using the behavioral finance approach.
To answer this question, a literature recherche and a quantitative study were done. The quantitative study consists of a questionnaire, which was answered by 216 German adults with ages ranging from 18 to 35.
Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die optimale Methode für Investoren zur Bewertung von Fußballvereinen aus der deutschen Bundesliga zu ermitteln. Dazu wurde der Ansatz verfolgt, den Dr. Tom Markham in der Arbeit "What is the optimal method to value a football club?" zur Validierung seines Ansatzes verwendet hat, indem er traditionelle Bewertungsmethoden auf ihre Eignung zur Bewertung der spezifischen Branche und des Marktes hin untersucht hat. Bei den drei untersuchten Modellen handelt es sich um die Substanzwertmethode, Varianten des DCF-Modells und Bewertungsmultiplikatoren. Darüber hinaus wurden zwei branchenspezifische Modelle vorgestellt, die Forbes-Liste der wertvollsten Fußballmannschaften und die Markham-Methode. Das Modell wurde nicht nur auf einen anderen Markt übertragen, sondern auch mit neueren Daten berechnet, nämlich mit den Spielzeiten 2010/10 bis 2020/21. Der Vergleich der Bewertungsergebnisse mit den tatsächlichen Transaktionen in diesem Zeitraum zeigt, dass die Markham-Methode zwar anwendbar ist, aber für die Bundesliga nicht die erste Wahl sein sollte.
Abstract
In the last decade, green bonds have become one of the most prominent and popular
financing instruments for mitigating climate change. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts of green bonds with regard to climate neutrality and compare their performance with conventional bonds. Therefore, the following research questions were answered: What are the latest developments in the green bond market? What is the present state of standardized regulations? How do green bonds perform compared to their conventional counterparts? How transparent and "green" is the current green bond market? The paper is based on a literature review in the theoretical part and a practical part illustrating an insight into the current green bond market through three case studies.
In the green bond market, which has been growing steadily since 2015, Europe's increasingly strong and prominent position is evident. With a global market volume of over $500 billion in 2021, there has been a substantial increase in market growth during the past few years. A large body of literature shows that green bonds do not exhibit significant differences in performance compared to their conventional counterparts. As the green bond market matures, the phenomenon of a green bond premium is slowly disappearing. Which is in line with the results of the case studies. The green bonds outperform the conventional bonds and achieve a higher return. Further, a lack of standardized regulations can be observed. There are not one but many voluntary standards and regulations. As a result, the actual sustainability and impact of green bonds are difficult to measure.
Die vorliegende Ereignisstudie untersucht, wie sich die Ausgabe von Green Bonds auf den Aktienkurs eines Unternehmens auswirkt. Dazu werden 176 Ankündigungen von Green-Bond-Emissionen von 107 börsennotierten europäischen Unternehmen im Zeitraum von Januar 2013 bis November 2022 betrachtet. Dabei wird am Tag der Ankündigung eine positive durchschnittliche abnormale Rendite und eine positive durchschnittliche kumulierte abnormale Rendite im Betrachtungszeitfenster gefunden. Parametrische und nicht-parametrische Tests bestätigen die Signifikanz. Dies liefert empirische Belege dafür, dass Aktienkurse von Unternehmen positiv auf die Ausgabe von Green Bonds reagieren.
This thesis examines the existence and magnitude of the Dividend Month Premium in the German stock market over the period 1999 to 2021. The findings indicate that there appear to be significant positive abnormal returns in the lead-up to the ex-dividend date, which are reversed thereafter. This mispricing around a predictable event arises as a contradiction of the efficient market hypothesis and is driven by price pressure from dividend-seeking investors who are not exposed to additional risk compared to non-dividend periods. The asset pricing anomaly intensifies in times of economic uncertainty and is related to the level of dividend yield and liquidity. However, if firms decide to omit their dividend payments, the return premium disappears.
An average investor trying to allocate his wealth among multiple assets ideally has nearly infinite possibilities to do so. However, asset allocation strategies try to facilitate this process. Nevertheless, no consensus exists on which strategy is ideal and yields the best performance. Therefore, this paper aims to determine an ideal asset allocation strategy for an average investor by comparing two asset allocation strategies.
The focus is on comparing the practical application of Markowitz’s Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), a sophisticated asset allocation strategy, with an equally weighted asset allocation, namely the 1/N strategy. The past performance of these two strategies is compared with the help of a calculation example based on historical data. The quantitative analysis covers three time periods of different lengths between 1991 and 2022. Also, the strategies are applied to portfolios with different amounts of assets during these periods. Although the existing literature is very controversial concerning the performance of the two strategies, this research shows a clear result. Compared to the 1/N strategy, this study’s findings show an outperformance of the MPT strategy during every period and each portfolio combination. However, the difference in performance regarding return and risk is minimal in most scenarios and would not significantly affect an average investor who invests over a long-term horizon.
Private equity investors acquire companies, aim to increase the company’s corporate value and thus aim at selling the respective company at a profit after some time. To increase the value of their portfolio companies, private equity investors employ three main value creation strategies. Financial leverage, multiple expansion, and operational value creation. There has been a significant shift in importance between these three value drivers. While in the 1980s more than 50% of value creation was achieved by leveraging equity with the help of debt capital, this value driver only accounted for 15% in the 2010s. Instead, the value driver operational value creation has gained significantly in importance. It alone accounted for 55% of total value creation in the 2010s, more than financial leverage and multiple expansion combined. The aim of this thesis is to answer the question which operational value creation levers private equity investors use to increase the value of their portfolio companies during the holding phase. In addition, the thesis deals with the question of operational value creation drivers of the future. These are derived based on prevailing megatrends of the future. Research on the operational value drivers used by private equity investors revealed that these drivers can be assigned to three main aspects.
These aspects are, on the one hand, financial aspects, where private equity investors take measures to improve working capital. Moreover, within the framework of financial aspects private equity investors influence the cost structure as well as the cost of capital and the capital structure. Furthermore, private equity investors assert influence on the governance structures of their portfolio companies. For the aspect of governance, measures such as replacement of management/change of management structure, monitoring and controlling as well as incentive systems were identified to increase the value of the company. Another identified aspect for value creation are strategic aspects. In terms of strategic aspects, private equity investors use the levers of mergers and acquisitions, organic expansion, outsourcing/insourcing as well as product and pricing strategies.
The research on the value creation levers that private equity investors will have to apply in the future in order to ensure value creation of their portfolio companies is based on the megatrends of digitalization, demographic change and sustainability. The research revealed the implementation of digitalization measures, employee, and talent management as well as the implementation of ESG criteria.
This thesis has structurally outlined value drivers that contribute to value creation in private equity investments. The research also showed that value creation levers taken can directly and indirectly influence the value of the portfolio company. Value drivers II with a direct effect on the change in equity value affect either revenue, margin or net debt, while the indirect value drivers affect the valuation multiple.
This paper analyses five different Cryptocurrencies, namely Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin and Litecoin, and studies their impact on traditional financial portfolios under different allocation strategies. The allocation strategies under consideration in this paper are the modern portfolio theory according to Markowitz, an extension of it such as the tangency portfolio, and the equally weighted portfolio. Further, this study explores the effect on the efficient frontier when Cryptocurrencies are added to the efficient portfolios. In addition to that, the paper aims to examine whether the mean – variance portfolio optimization according to Markowitz outperforms the naïve and tangency portfolio strategy. The portfolio performance is evaluated based on the Sharpe ratio. The quantitative analysis of this paper covers the time period from 2017 to 2022, in total five years. In accordance with the existing literature on portfolio optimization with Cryptocurrencies, the study reveals that besides some issues related with Cryptocurrencies such as cybercrime and a lack of regulations, Cryptocurrencies can be beneficial for portfolio diversification with traditional financial assets. Referring to the portfolio strategies, the study highlights that the optimal mean – variance portfolio and tangency portfolio do not differ significantly in terms of Sharpe ratio. However, both strategies outperform equally weighted portfolios.
In the context of the global climate crisis, socially responsible investing has gained momentum in the financial market. One of its objectives is the achievement of a positive environmental impact. Among the instruments used for this purpose are green bonds. These are fixed-income instruments whose proceeds may only be used for green activities. To this point, market-based standards aimed at establishing uniform definitions of what constitutes “green” have strongly contributed to the development of the green bond market. In order to further promote the issuance and credibility of green bonds and exploiting their financing potential, the European Commission has proposed the introduction of a European Green Bond Standard.
This thesis examines how an introduction of the European Green Bond Standard could impact the existing German green bond market and lead to more private investments in green projects in the future. To address this question, information from an extensive literature review as well as quantitative data from Refinitiv EIKON's Green Bond Guide was used.
For the German green bond market to grow, in particular an increased involvement of the private sector is essential. This thesis finds that the current draft of the European Green Bond Standard offers great potential in this respect. Through increased transparency and assurance, increased demand as well as associated reputational benefits and the possibility to use targeted policy incentives it has the potential to increase the attractiveness of green bond issuance for the private sector and thus induce more issuances. An extension of the grandfather clause, which is currently under discussion, could underpin this even further.
The paper tests the German stock market for excess volatility and stock price overvaluation with regard to the simple efficient markets model and the cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratio. Long-term historical stock market data of 49 years are used to calculate the detrended real price and ex-post value and data of 39 years to compute the cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratio, both from the sample of two German automotive stocks. The empirical evidence provided by the analysis points to excess market volatility and confirms the theory of overvalued stocks, which is linked to the bubble theory. This indicates that price fluctuations cannot be justified only by changes in fundamental values as claimed by the Efficient Market Hypothesis. The German stock market therefore shows inefficiency.
Digitalization is currently taking place in all areas of the business environment. This thesis aims to provide an overview of digitalization in the field of controlling, specifically focusing on the use business intelligence (BI) dashboards. Embracing digitalization by implementing BI enables companies to transform the way in which data and information relevant for decision making is procured and managed. The utilization of a BI solution to conduct complex analyses is exemplified by the conceptualization and development of a BI dashboard for assessing the consolidation effect at Bosch Rexroth AG. The importance of designing an effective dashboard according to its purpose in a simple, clear and intuitive way as a front-end application of a BI solution is emphasized. Furthermore, five different potential roles for the controller that arise as digitization progresses are identified, all of which require an expansion of the controller's IT capabilities.
SPACs are an alternative way for companies to access the capital market. They have experienced a boom since 2020, and in the following year 613 SPACs raised more than $160 billion in the US. However, SPACs are controversial and have been criticized for bad performance and incentive misalignments. This bachelor thesis aims to examine whether the current US SPAC boom is a temporary phenomenon or whether SPACs represent a long-term alternative to the traditional IPO process. To answer this research question, a literature review and 14 semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to explore the reasons for the boom, the advantages and disadvantages for companies seeking to go public, and the winner and losers of the SPAC process. This work shows that SPACs had already gained acceptance in the market before the boom, and it argues that SPACs are a viable alternative to the traditional IPO process for young, risky companies due to the regulatory advantages and the support of SPAC sponsors. In addition, the majority of key SPAC stakeholders are winning in the SPAC process and are likely to continue to support the market in the future. At the same time, this paper finds that the Corona pandemic was an important catalyst for the SPAC market, but that the associated reasons for the boom will probably recede. Moreover, PIPE investors will be more selective in the future and sponsors without appropriate expertise and network will have to liquidate their SPACs more often. This bachelor thesis therefore concludes that SPACs will continue to exist. However, there will be fewer and higher quality SPACs in the future.
The project business in the packaging machine industry is highly volatile. Although the industry is steadily growing, firms face increasing financial constraints due to external, difficult to control, factors. This thesis examines the underlying concepts and processes of a Supply Chain Finance implementation, using the Syntegon Group as an empirical example. Due to the extended payment terms of customers and the currently undergoing refinancing measures, the analysis about potential liquidity increasing measures becomes extremely relevant for Syntegon. The research questions covered focus on cash liquidity increases, working capital improvement and alternatives to Supply Chain Finance solutions.
This research aims to provide an informed recommendation about the implementation of Supply Chain Finance. The research is divided into two major parts. The first part discusses the underlying theoretical frameworks to understand the concept of working capital and supply chain management. These concepts are of great importance for the understanding of Supply Chain Finance and its relevance in today’s globalized world. The second part focuses on a detailed empirical analysis of the Syntegon Group. Hereby, the qualitative research involves expert interviews with various departments of the Syntegon Group. The answers of the interviewees are evaluated based on the different categories. This allows for a direct comparison of the interviewee’s answers.
The quantitative analysis consists of the key figure analyses. These allow an informed statement about the current financial situation of the group. By calculating potential payment term extensions and the consequential cash flow opportunities, an estimation about the benefit of the implementation of Supply Chain Finance can be made. Lastly, the cost-benefit analysis of implementing such a solution versus receiving the money as a bank loan is determined.
The results of the calculation and analyses have shown that payment term extensions offer large cash flow opportunities for the Syntegon Group. Receiving a bank loan in the same amount as the unlocked working capital would result in a lower benefit.
Although further research beyond this thesis is needed, the clear benefits of implementing a Supply Chain Finance solution to increase liquidity are demonstrated.
The current dashboard reporting of the Key Account Management of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG indicates that management reporting in companies is still characterized by extensive manual effort, although various digitalization technologies offer possibilities to make reporting more efficient and effective. Therefore, this thesis deals with the digital transformation of controlling and primarily one of its central components - reporting. The main technologies available for reporting purposes will be identified by examining relevant literature. Regarding the manual dashboard reporting of the Key Account Management of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co.KG, requirements and recommendations for the conceptualization and implementation of a digital reporting will be described and summarized. It can be stated that the requirements differ from traditional reporting in many aspects, and it is recognizable that an interaction of different dashboard reporting elements is essential to establish a successful, digital reporting solution. As a result, it has been shown that an automated dashboard based on a BI-infrastructure has led to an enhancement in productivity and an extended information basis. Furthermore, it will be discussed that the challenges of new processes are driving controllers to extend their competence profiles.
The following study examines the influence selected variables have on the price of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin by utilizing a multiple linear regression model. Data of 267 observations for each variable during a five-year period from 13 August 2016 to 1 October 2021 are analyzed. The results present empirical evidence on the relationship of Bitcoin and external determinants such as traditional financial assets, in particular the stock market, the bond market, domestic currencies, the real estate market, gold, and the popularity of Bitcoin, represented by a Google Trends analysis. The findings imply that only the stock market and the real estate market proxies significantly influence the price of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, die vorhandenen Maßnahmen zur Prävention von Bilanzmanipulation und die Instrumente zur Aufdeckung auszuwerten, sowie die Maßnahmen zur Stärkung der Unabhängigkeit der Wirtschaftsprüfung im Zuge der Verabschiedung des Finanzmarktintegritätsgesetz auszuleuchten und auf seine Wirksamkeit zu prüfen. Im Rahmen dieser Bewertung wird die Funktion und Verantwortung des Wirtschaftsprüfers in Hinsicht auf die Regelwerke und Berufspflichten dargelegt, sowie darauf aufbauend die verschiedenen Arten und Hintergründe der Bilanzmanipulation beschrieben. Im Zusammenhang mit dem Bilanzskandal der Wirecard AG werden die Schwachstellen der Bilanzkontrolle aufgezeigt und mit den neuen Regulierungen in einem Vergleich gezogen. In Anbetracht der vorhandenen Risiken der Bilanzmanipulation, erfüllen die neuen Reformen ihren Beitrag zur Stärkung des Sicherheitssystems im Finanzmarkt und erschaffen dementsprechend gute Voraussetzungen für eine frühzeitige Aufdeckung und Verhinderung der Bilanzmanipulation.
The aim of the present work is to evaluate the existing measures to prevent balance sheet manipulation and the instruments for detection, as well as to examine the measures to strengthen the independence of auditing in the course of the adoption of the Financial Market Integrity Act and to examine their effectiveness. As part of this assessment, the function and responsibility of the auditor with regard to the regulations and professional duties is explained, and based on this, the various types and backgrounds of balance sheet manipulation are described. In connection with the scandal of the company Wirecard AG, the weaknesses in the control are identified and compared with the new regulations. In view of the existing risks of balance sheet manipulation, the new reforms fulfill their contribution to strengthening the security system in the financial market and accordingly create good conditions for early detection and prevention of balance sheet manipulation.
This thesis is motivated by the possibility for individuals to diversify their saving methods to allow for more financial safety, by investing into company stocks. If chosen well, stock investments offer attractive returns and prospects, however this choice can be daunting, and assistance may be required. In the context of other options that assist in decision-making related to stock options, this research aims to design and implement a relational database, that offers a transparent overview of financial information of stocks, developed to assist individuals in making decisions for investments in the stock market. The database should also be maintainable. After the design, implementation, and enhancement of the database with data, the database was tested for functionality, maintainability, and transparency. Then, application examples were constructed to examine the usability of the concept to assist with decision-making, aiming to create consistent positive returns within the created portfolios. It was found that the database fulfilled all desired characteristics and produced positive returns in the application examples. However, the ability of creating consistent outcomes was not given. These results indicate that the database can be used to organize stock-related information, however, is not usable to assist with decision-making.
The present thesis performs an actuarial work that intends to understand the premiums, expenses, and claims, including the reserves considered the most important technical variables in an insurance company. The company is located in Colombia and the work will be performed in 2 branches: Compliance and Liability.
The objective of the thesis has been set as to define and measure a claim ratio after remarking a lack of an indicator that describes the 3 most important technical variables altogether in the company. It has also defined to assess the current methodology that calculates the reserves for the claims occurred but currently unknown by the insurance company under the premise that there is a very low level of observed claims in the history of the company in both branches.
All the methodologies defined, assessed, and performed in this thesis have been compared to other methodologies implemented in journals, research papers and articles to align the conclusions and take the best practices from actuarial works previously done. They all also considered to keep homogeneous results that was considered as a very important achievement even by other sources.
A new methodology has been defined to calculate expenses related to administration, the ones used in the reserves and the ones related to claims. The new expenses level was used in 2021 and an impact of a tremendous increase in premiums was observed the same year as a reaction of the decrease in policy prices.
The conclusions derived from the work was to continue with the current methodology to calculate the incurred but not reported claims reserve according to the instability seen in the Chain-Ladder methodology until more homogeneous result could be seen that yield to a higher level of credibility.
Finally, among many possible claim ratios defined, a paid claim ratio has been considered. It includes the whole variables inside the premiums of the company and the most important variables inside the claims that were the claims paid and the proportional and non-proportional reinsurance effect.
Conducting a due diligence is an integral part of M&A transactions. Its objective is to audit the targeted company with proper accuracy, in order to expose risks and opportunities and allow a profound decision on whether to acquire the company and which price to pay. An essential part of the due diligence is the environmental due diligence, which examines all environmental related liability risks, identifies costs and mitigation potentials. Up to now, little is known about the impact of environmental due diligence on company valuations in M&A transactions. The objective of this work is to get to the core of this influence with the help of interviews with several environmental consultants. The qualitative research shows that three main environmental risks bear an impact. The three main environmental risks are permissions, contamination on site and climate-related risks. Furthermore, it was discovered that the influence of these environmental risks on the company valuation is dependent on several factors. The influence depends on whether the investor is a strategic or a financial investor and to which extent the materiality limits are applied. Thereby four possibilities could be identified as possible effects on the company valuation: there is a dealbreaker, the environmental related costs are directly deducted from the purchase price, the deal size is changed, or the future cash flows of the target firm are being affected. Regarding the latter, an exemplary discounted cash flow calculation is used to demonstrate the negative impact of environmental risks on the target’s value. The findings of this qualitative research may be useful for industry experts, environmental researchers and companies planning M&A to consider environmental risks in their business valuations.
Vor dem Hintergrund der Coronakrise als erster Bewährungsprobe des internationalen Rechnungslegungsstandards IFRS 9 nach dem Scheitern des Vorgängerstandards IAS 39 in der Finanzkrise wird in dieser Arbeit untersucht, inwiefern der neue Standard im Hinblick auf die Bildung der Risikovorsorge in Krisenzeiten erfolgreicher ist als sein Vorgänger. Dabei bezieht sich der Erfolg des IFRS 9 auf die Erfüllung der an ihn gestellten Anforderungen. So wird geprüft, inwiefern dessen Risikovorsorge eine geringere Prozyklizität aufweist als jene nach IAS 39. Darüber hinaus wird untersucht, ob in der Praxis eine zeitnahe Verlusterfassung bei der Bildung von Risikovorsorge erfolgt und ob IFRS 9 Transparenz gewährleisten kann. Dabei werden Finanzdaten von dreizehn Banken aus jeweils unterschiedlichen Ländern analysiert. Bei deren Auswertung werden zusätzlich die jeweilige länderspezifische Krisenbelastung und nicht-numerische Informationen der bankspezifischen Anhänge berücksichtigt. Es wird festgestellt, dass IFRS 9 in der Coronakrise insgesamt eine geringere Prozyklizität aufweist als IAS 39 in der Finanzkrise, wobei einzelne Ausnahmen wohl auf diskretionäres Bilanzierungsverhalten zurückzuführen sind. Darüber hinaus zeigt IFRS 9 in der Praxis eine überwiegend zeitnahe Verlusterfassung in der Krise, wobei eine verspätete Erfassung vermutlich dem jeweiligen Belastungsgrad der Krise geschuldet ist. In einigen Fällen scheint es jedoch zu Intransparenz in Form von etwaigen Diskrepanzen zwischen der jeweiligen Krisensituation und den vorgenommenen Risikovorsorgen durch die Ausübung von Ermessensspielräumen zu kommen. Somit kommt die Arbeit zu dem Schluss, dass IFRS 9 zwar die Grundlage für ein erfolgreicheres Krisenmanagement in der Coronakrise schafft, als es IAS 39 in der Finanzkrise gelungen ist, dieses allerdings nicht gewährleistet. Vielmehr ist es erforderlich, dass der Standard von den bilanzierenden Banken ordnungsgemäß und zielführend angewendet wird.
By researching the influence of heuristics and biases on investment decisions and performance of investors in the exchange, this paper contributes to the field of behavioral finance. The paper adopts a generalized perspective on investors and markets in the exchange and provides insights into investors’ decision-making behavior that challenge the traditional assumption of perfectly rational market agents. Thus, it presents statistically significant evidence that investors may not resemble the concept of perfect rationality, as they use heuristics and comply with the prospect theory in investment decisions. Therefore, these decisions are shaped by systematic errors known as biases. The paper’s focus comprises the heuristics of availability, representativeness and anchoring and adjustment as well as the prospect theory. These psychological concepts are investigated for their impact on investment decisions and for subsequent effects on investors’ performances. The investment performance, for this purpose, is measured by investors’ returns. In addition, these psychological elements are studied comparatively to detect interrelations between them and to identify differences in the magnitude with which they influence investment decisions of distinct groups of investors. The paper involves an analysis of quantitative primary data collected by an international survey. Thus, a sample of 297 investors with different characteristics is analyzed. Although the study reveals that investors in the exchange behave according to the considered psychological elements in their investment decisions without differences between groups, it does not show that this entails performance-inhibiting consequences. However, a negative relationship between the investors’ age and their compliance with these elements is found.
Die digitale Disruption ist in vollem Gange und dies nicht nur für Konzerne, sondern auch für mittelständische Unternehmen. Künstliche Intelligenz nimmt hierbei eine wichtige Rolle ein. Aus diesem Grund sollten Mittelständler den Anschluss nicht verpassen, damit deren gegenwärtiger und zukünftiger Erfolg nicht darunter leidet.
Das Ziel in der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es zu beantworten, welche Möglichkeiten es im Rechnungswesen gibt, auf welchem aktuellen Stand mittelständische Unternehmen hinsichtlich der KI-Anwendungen im Rechnungswesen sind und vor welchen Herausforderungen sie stehen. Darüber hinaus, werden zum einen die Chancen und Risiken, die sich durch solch eine intelligente Technologie ergeben, veranschaulicht und die Auswirkungen auf den zukünftigen Beruf des Controllers beleuchtet.
Dazu wurde eine qualitative Studie mit Experten aus mittelständischen Unternehmen durchgeführt. Im Rahmen dieser Studie wurde deutlich, dass der Einsatz von KI in mittelständischen Unternehmen im Rechnungswesen gering ist. Dies betrifft insbesondere das Controlling, da in diesem Bereich bislang gar keine KI-Technologien zum Einsatz kommen. Das fehlende Know-how, das Fehlen eines Verantwortungsbereichs, der für die Ideensammlung von KI-Einsatzfeldern zuständig ist und die Priorisierung von anderen Bereichen mit der Ausstattung von KI-Anwendungen sind unter anderem Gründe hierfür. Das zeigt, dass das Potential, welches im Rechnungswesen herrscht, nicht vollständig genutzt wird. Dadurch werden Chancen, wie die der Mitarbeiterentlastung und der damit verbundenen Verbesserung der Analysetätigkeiten außen vor gelassen. Zusätzlich wurde durch die Studie ersichtlich, dass der Beruf des Controllers in mittelständischen Unternehmen noch immer derselbe ist, obwohl davon ausgegangen wird, dass sich dieser aufgrund der digitalen Transformation zukünftig ändern wird. Dies hat zur Folge, dass Controller in mittelständischen Unternehmen derzeit hinzukommende Aufgaben selbst übernehmen müssen, da Fachkräfte, die hierfür zuständig wären, dem Arbeitsmarkt nicht ausreichend zur Verfügung stehen.
Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über die Herausforderungen, die der gegenwärtigen internationalen Steuerpolitik gegenüberstehen. Das Ziel war es, das GloBe Proposal der OECD/G20 und den darin enthaltenen Vorschlag einer globalen Mindeststeuer als Maßnahme gegen die Problematiken kritisch zu analysieren. Dazu wurden mögliche Problemfelder des Konzeptes dargelegt. Das Ergebnis aus der kritischen Analyse und Bewertung ist, dass die globale Mindeststeuer das Potenzial dazu hat, die Herausforderungen einzudämmen. Der Vorschlag stellt einen bedeutenden Schritt für weitere globale Zusammenarbeiten dar. Eine vollständige Abschaffung der Herausforderungen durch das GloBe Proposal ist jedoch nicht möglich. Für eine größere Effektivität der Maßnahme muss die Mindeststeuer höher angesetzt, an geltende Regulierungen angepasst und einheitlich von allen Staaten implementiert werden. Weitere Schwächen der Maßnahme müssen nach Einführung früh erkannt und beseitigt werden.
Durch die Coronapandemie wurden die kleinen und mittelständischen Unternehmen (KMU) in eine schwere finanzielle Lage gebracht. Die von Bund beschlossenen Coronahilfen sollten den angeschlagenen Unternehmen helfen, ihre Umsatzeinbußen auszugleichen. Durch eine Umfrage bei KMU und Experteninterviews wurde die Situation der Unternehmen im Bezug auf die Hilfen betrachtet und neue Lösungsvorschläge erarbeitet.
Das Ziel der vorliegenden Bachelorarbeit war es auf Grundlage der wichtigsten theoretischen Konzepte der Kostenrechnung die Integration der Spartenrechnung im neuen ERP-System der AGVS Aluminium Werke GmbH und die damit verbundene Vorbereitung auf eine Profit-Center-Analyse der Produktionssparten zu erläutern. Weiterführend sollte noch die Möglichkeit einer Teilkostenrechnung der vorhandenen Vollkostenrechnung gegenübergestellt werden. Die theoretische Beleuchtung von Systemen der Vollkosten- sowie Teilkostenrechnung als auch des Profit-Center-Konzepts ermöglichte die fachliche Erörterung der Kostenrechnung innerhalb der AGVS Aluminium Werke GmbH und der Integration der Spartenrechnung in das System. Dabei wurden bestehende und angestrebte Vorgehensweisen als auch Probleme und Lösungen aufgezeigt. Das Vorhaben einer erfolgreichen Systemintegration der vorhandenen Spartenrechnung wurde umgesetzt und darüber hinaus wurden Optimierungen und Potenziale bezüglich der Rechnung geschaffen.
This paper investigates the influence of manipulated attention on the perceived severity of financial risks. Participants undertake an online survey where they get exposed to images of various financial risk sources, while their attention is directed towards one of five available visual images of financial risk hazards.
Beforehand, they are instructed to remember and repeat the respective labeling of all pictures. It is ensured that the attended picture is randomly chosen, and the participants are aware of the corresponding names. Subsequently, participants are asked to rate the risk on four related characteristics.
Considering the responses of 292 people, only the numerical values indicate differences between attended and unattended risks, but the applied statistical measures provide no evidence for this hypothesis.
This thesis aims to investigate the presence of herding behaviour in the German DAX40 market during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Herding behaviour is a phenomenon in behavioural finance where investors ignore their own information and base their decisions on fellow market participants. This behaviour most often presents during times of high market volatility. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a critical effect on the German financial markets, making it an appropriate time period to detect herding behaviour among investors of the DAX40.To begin this investigation, a literature review is used to build a good understanding of the causes and effects of herding behaviour. The literature review also presents some of the most influential models which aim to explain herding behaviour in financial markets. This is followed by using the methodology of the Cross-sectional standard deviation (CSSD) and the cross-sectional absolute deviation (CSAD), two empirical models to detect herding in financial markets. For the investigation, daily stock data of the DAX40 performance index and the DAX40 companies was collected for two years surrounding the pandemic's beginning in March 2020. No significant evidence of herding was detected in the DAX40 market during the sampling period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diese Arbeit dient dazu, die Angebots,- und Nachfrageseite von Private-Equity detaillierter zu beleuchten. Basierend auf den negativen Assoziationen durch die „Heuschrecken“- Debatte und neuer Supertrend, soll dies objektiv in einen neuen, zeitgerechten Kontext gebracht werden. Denn sowohl die Anbieter von Private Equity als auch die Nachfrager verfolgen bestimmte Ziele, haben gegebenenfalls differierende Interessen und können nicht nur auf einzelne Aktivitäten reduziert werden, wie diese in der Vergangenheit dargestellt wurden. Dazu werden die folgenden beiden Forschungsfragen gestellt: Wie sind die Aktivitäten von Anbietern und Nachfragern von Private Equity in einem neuzeitlichen Kontext zu bewerten? (1) und Welche Rolle können Privatanleger als potenzielle Investoren bei einer Private Equity- Transaktion einnehmen? (2)
Um die Forschungsfragen zu beantworten, wurden Experteninterviews mit drei Mitarbeitern von Private Equity- Fondsgesellschaften geführt, welche ihre Expertise einbringen konnten. Im Rahmen einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse wurden die Ergebnisse erhoben und ausgewertet.
Anhand der daraus erzielten Ergebnisse und mit Bezug auf die Forschungsfrage 1 konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Anbieter und Nachfrager nicht grundsätzlich als „Heuschrecken“ bezeichnet werden können, sondern weitere Aktivitäten deren Geschäftstätigkeiten beschreiben, die nicht Bestandteil der Diskussion um Franz Münteferings Aussage waren. Anhand der erzielten Ergebnisse und mit Bezug auf die Forschungsfrage 2 konnte gezeigt werden, dass Privatanleger durchaus eine Rolle hinsichtlich Private Equity einnehmen können, diese aber aufgrund von Restriktionen der Anlage und indirekter Partizipation nicht zwangsläufig in Frage kommen.
The purpose of this paper is to shed more light on the supply and demand side of private equity. Based on the negative associations by the "Heuschrecken" deabtte and new super trend, this is to be brought objectively into a new, contemporary context. After all, both the providers of private equity and the demanders pursue certain goals, may have different interests, and cannot be reduced to individual activities only, as they have been presented in the past. To this end, the following two research questions are posed: How should activities providers and demanders of private equity be evaluated in a modern context? (2) and What role can private investors play as potential investors in a private equity transaction? (1)
To answer the research questions, interviews with experts were conducted with three employees of private equity fund companies who were able to contribute their expertise. Within the framework of a qualitative content analysis, the results were collected and evaluated.
On the basis of the results obtained and with reference to research question 1, it was possible to show that the providers and demanders cannot fundamentally be described as "Heuschrecken", but rather describe further determinants of their business activities that were not part of the discussion surrounding Franz Müntefering's statement. On the basis of the results obtained and with reference to research question 2, it could be shown that private investors can certainly play a role with regard to private equity, but that they are not necessarily eligible due to restrictions on investment and indirect participation.
In the wake of global warming, consumers and companies are increasingly attaching importance to a more sustainable performance. Nowadays, this performance is often disclosed in so-called Integrated Reports, which focus on sustainable and non-financial information. However, the problem is that there are still no uniform accounting and auditing standards for disclosing such information.
For this reason, this work aims to investigate whether one can apply traditional financial auditing concepts to the audit of sustainable and non-financial information in an Integrated Report.
To answer the research question, qualitative research was conducted through an expert interview with staff from the Climate Change and Sustainability Services department at Ernst & Young Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschafts GmbH. The focus was on four key audit concepts: Understand the Business, Determining Materiality, Accounting Estimates, and Identification of Fraud Risk. In addition, this research examined how the traditional job description of the auditor will change in the future, considering the increasing importance of sustainable and non-financial information.
The research results showed that the financial audit concepts often serve as the basis for auditing non-financial and sustainable information. However, it was also found that transfer was not possible in some places. This was due to the lack of taxonomy, processes, or difficulty in quantifying qualitative information. In addition, research made it possible to identify new risks, such as the creation of new incentives through variable compensation linked to sustainability performance. Furthermore, challenges, and opportunities for the future of the Integrated Report and suggestions for the application of the concepts, could be elaborated.
The aim of this research is to provide a holistic overview of the influences on the intention to invest in the context of behavioral finance. For this purpose, a model was created in which the effects of the theory of planned behavior, financial risk propen-sity, and the self-determination theory on the intention to invest were examined. With the help of nine hypotheses, the significance of the relations within the model, as well as a mediation effect were analyzed. In order to test these hypotheses, a quantitative survey querying the above-mentioned possible factors and further questions about the participants' investment behavior was created and sent to all students at Furtwangen University. Results showed that all relations within the model were significant and that especially attitudes and financial risk propensity had a pronounced influence on the intention to invest. However, several variables for self-determination theory had to be eliminated to guarantee validity and reliability of the model. The findings of this study enable financial institutions, such as banks, to actively influence and en-courage customers to invest or to purposefully develop new investment products to gain additional customers.
Marketing strategy remains a critical driver of customer satisfaction and competitiveness in the banking industry globally. Despite this, private and government banks in Germany are yet to attain required customer satisfaction levels. Studies on the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction revealed both positive and negative results. The main purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction in the German Banking sector. Deutsche bank offenbach am main branch was used as a case. The target population was 2000 customers; holders of either a savings account, current account or both. 120 questionnaires were administered using a non- probability sampling technique known as the convenience sampling. 100 out of the 120 questionnaires came back complete. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The results revealed that service quality significantly contributed to customer satisfaction at (Adjusted R2 = 0.733, p<.05). It was concluded that service quality contributes to customer satisfaction. From the survey, other factors that influence customer satisfaction in the German banking sector include, account security, proximity, customer expectations and perceived valued of service quality, employee’s behavior and management. The study recommends a more emphasis on improving and maintaining high service quality levels translating to customer satisfaction. Therefore, the research provides a validated service quality model that can be used to clearly measure levels of service quality in relation to levels of customer satisfaction
In dieser Arbeit wird eine Analyse von Bewertungsverfahren durchgeführt. Das Ziel die- ser Untersuchung ist es, jene Bewertungsverfahren zu identifizieren, die für die Bewer- tung der hTRIUS GmbH, einem Start-up, am geeignetsten sind. Diese qualitative Arbeit befasst sich nicht ausschließlich mit dem theoretischen Hintergrund, sondern bezieht die praktische Unternehmensbewertung der hTRIUS GmbH sowie ein Experteninterview mit ein. Die Unternehmensbewertung von Start-ups ist zum einen stark von der Planung und zum anderen von der Unternehmensphase abhängig. Andere Faktoren wie ein Unterneh- mensverkauf spielen bei der Wahl des Bewertungsverfahrens ebenfalls eine große Rolle. Für die hTRIUS GmbH stellt sich das DCF-Verfahren als am geeignetsten heraus, jedoch weisen jegliche Bewertungsverfahren Schwachpunkte auf. Diese bestehen darin, dass Faktoren, die nicht in Form einer finanzwirtschaftlichen Kennzahl zu erfassen sind, bei der Unternehmenswertermittlung exkludiert werden. Demzufolge muss in der Zukunft eine Lösung gefunden werden, diese Werte ebenfalls in die Bewertung aufzunehmen.
Der Investitionsprozess stellt einen wesentlichen operativen Bestandteil zur Zielerreichung der Unternehmensstrategie dar. Durch das Tätigen von Investitionen kann eine nachhaltige Wertsteigerung, ein langfristiges Wachstum oder die Sicherung des Unternehmens in Bezug auf den Wettbewerb gewährleistet werden. Das zentrale Problem besteht jedoch darin, die richtige Wahl der Investition zu treffen und vor allem unter Berücksichtigung eines begrenzt zur Verfügung stehenden Budgets einen effizienten Einsatz der finanziellen Mittel sicherzustellen. Anhand theoretischer Grundlagen der Investitionsrechnung wurde in Bezug auf den Bauchemie-Konzern Sto SE & Co. KGaA ein Investitionsprozess erarbeitet, welchem es ermöglicht, Investitionen zunächst zu kategorisieren und diese anschließend anhand ihrer quantitativen sowie qualitativen Nutzen zu bewerten, um letzten Endes eine objektive Grundlage für die Realisationsentscheidung zu schaffen. Die Bewertung umfasst dabei modifizierte Formen der klassischen Investitionsrechnungen, die Nutzwertanalyse hinsichtlich der qualitativen Eigenschaften sowie die Einführung eines Risiko-Managements. Mittels Outranking-Verfahrens werden die Investitionen einer Kategorie in Bezug auf die ermittelten Kennzahlen miteinander verglichen und unter der Berücksichtigung der Unternehmensstrategie der Sto SE & Co. KGaA selektiert. Die Selektion des Outranking-Verfahrens erfolgt in Form einer Rangfolge, welche die Investitionen in Bezug auf ihre Vorteilhaftigkeit filtert. Das Unternehmen erhält dadurch eine sachliche Darstellung der sinnvollsten Investitionen, wodurch der Entscheidungsprozess, auch im Falle eines begrenzten Budgets, aktiv unterstützt wird.
The COVID-19 crisis in 2020 shook the whole world with an enormous impact on the global economy and every belonging area. Mergers and Acquisitions are an integral part of the corporate management used by companies to generate growth from outside the company. Even though mergers and acquisitions are likely to support company’s growth, it carries risks which can enhance in times of crisis. This scientific term paper aims to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on companies and their mergers and acquisitions. Using interviews with representatives from companies from different branches, the results show that the impact on the mergers and acquisitions activities have been marginal. Companies were able to handle negative impacts from the COVID-19 crisis due to different indicators of crisis resistance. As a result of this research, it proves that mergers and acquisitions do not react causally to business operations due to middle- to long-term orientation. According to experts, the COVID19 crisis did not carry negative impacts only. The crisis showed companies their grievances in digitalization and led to the implementation of more flexible forms of work. The results of this research are useful for companies to benchmark their level of crisis resistance in terms of further crisis.