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Der Masterstudiengang Human-Centered Computing der Hochschule Reutlingen ist geprägt durch die Zusammenarbeit von Mensch und Computer. Eine wichtige Rolle an der Schnittstelle spielt die Sensorik, die der diesjährigen Konferenz Informatics Inside das Motto „perceive(it)“ verleiht. Dabei hebt das Wortspiel „it“ für die Informationstechnologie und die englische Übersetzung des Personalpronomens „es“ die Dualität der Wahrnehmung der Informationstechnologie durch den Menschen und der Realität durch den Computer hervor. Das Spannungsfeld zwischen künstlichen Sinneserweiterungen und der intelligenten Verarbeitung von Sensordaten ermöglicht unzählige Anwendungen für digitale Medien, virtuelle Welten, realitätsnahe Simulationen, computergestützte Arbeitsprozesse sowie intelligente Assistenzsysteme in der Produktion, im Haushalt, in der Medizin und in der Mobilität. Meine Aufmerksamkeit gilt hierbei der praxisnahen Forschung als Motor für diesen technischen Fortschritt.
Selecting a suitable development method for a specific project context is one of the most challenging activities in process design. To extend the so far statistical construction of hybrid development methods, we analyze 829 data points to investigate which context factors influence the choice of methods or practices. Using exploratory factor analysis, we derive five base clusters consisting of up to 10 methods. Logistic regression analysis then reveals which context factors have an influence on the integration of methods from these clusters in the development process. Our results indicate that only a few context factors including project/product size and target application domain significantly influence the choice. This summary refers to the paper “Determining Context Factors for Hybrid Development Methods with Trained Models”. This paper was published in the proceedings of the International Conference on Software and System Process in 2020.
Context: Nowadays, companies are challenged by increasing market dynamics, rapid changes and disruptive participants entering the market. To survive in such an environment, companies must be able to quickly discover product ideas that meet the needs of both customers and the company and deliver these products to customers. Dual-track agile is a new type of agile development that combines product discovery and delivery activities in parallel, iterative, and cyclical ways. At present, many companies have difficulties in finding and establishing suitable approaches for implementing dual-track agile in their business context.
Objective: In order to gain a better understanding of how product discovery and product delivery can interact with each other and how this interaction can be implemented in practice, this paper aims to identify suitable approaches to dual-track agile.
Method: We conducted a grey literature review (GLR) according to the guidelines to Garousi et al.
Results: Several approaches that support the integration of product discovery with product delivery were identified. This paper presents a selection of these approaches, i.e., the Discovery-Delivery Cycle model, Now-Next-Later Product Roadmaps, Lean Sprints, Product Kata, and Dual-Track Scrum. The approaches differ in their granularity but are similar in their underlying rationales. All approaches aim to ensure that only validated ideas turn into products and thus promise to lead to products that are better received by their users.
A systematic study using a central composite design of experiments (DoE) was performed on the oxygen plasma surface modifications of two different polymers—Pellethane 2363-55DE, which is a polyurethane, and vinyltrimethoxysilane-grafted ethylene-propylene (EPR-g-VTMS), a cross-linked ethylene-propylene rubber. The impacts of four parameters—gas pressure, generator power, treatment duration, and process temperature—were assessed, with static contact angles and calculated surface free energies (SFEs) as the main responses in the DoE. The plasma effects on the surface roughness and chemistry were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Through the sufficiently accurate DoE model evaluation, oxygen gas pressure was established as the most impactful factor, with the surface energy and polarity rising with falling oxygen pressure. Both polymers, though different in composition, exhibited similar modification trends in surface energy rise in the studied system. The SEM images showed a rougher surface topography after low pressure plasma treatments. XPS and subsequent multivariate data analysis of the spectra established that higher oxidized species were formed with plasma treatments at low oxygen pressures of 0.2 mbar.
Annotations of character IDs in news images are critical as ground truth for news retrieval and recommendation system. Universality and accuracy optimization of deep neural network models constitutes the key technology to improve the precision and computing efficiency of automatic news character identification, which is attracting increased attention globally. This paper explores the optimized deep neural network model for automatic focus personage identification in multi-lingual news. First, the face model of the focus personage is trained by using the corresponding face images from German news as positive samples. Next, the scheme of Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network (RCNN) + Bi-directional Long-Short Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) + Conditional Random Field (CRF) is utilized to label the focus name, and the RCNN-RCNN encoder–decoder is applied to translate names of people into multiple languages. Third, face features are described by combining the advantages of Local Gabor Binary Pattern Histogram Sequence (LGBPHS) and RCNN, and iterative quantization (ITQ) is used to binarize codes. Finally, a name semantic network is built for different domains. Experiments are performed on a dataset which comprises approximately 100,000 news images. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a significant improvement over other algorithms.
This chapter presents an introduction to the emerging trends for architecting the digital transformation having a strong focus on digital products, intelligent services, and related systems together with methods, models and architectures. The primary aim of this book is to highlight some of the most recent research results in the field. We are providing a focused set of brief descriptions of the chapters included in the book.
This book is about the challenges that emerge for organizations from an ever faster changing world. While useful at their time, several management tools, including classic strategic planning processes, will no longer suffice to address these challenges in a timely and comprehensive fashion. While individual management tools are still valid to solve specific problems, they need to be employed based on a clear understanding of what the greater challenge is and how they need to be combined and prioritized with other approaches. In order to do so, companies can apply the clarity of thinking from the military with regard to which leadership level is responsible for what and how these levels need to interact in order to produce a single aligned response to an outside opportunity or threat. Finally, the tool of business wargaming, while known for some time, proves to be an ideal approach to quickly and effectively bring all leadership levels together, align them around a common objective and lay the groundwork for effective implementation of targeted responses that will keep the organization competitive and in the game for the long run. The book offers a comprehensive introduction to business wargaming, including a historical account, a classification of different types of games and a number of specific real-world examples. This book is targeted at practicing managers dealing with the aforementioned challenges, as well as for students of business and strategy at every level.
Mit diesem Strategiepapier formulieren die Universitäts-, Landes- und Hochschulbibliotheken des Landes Baden-Württemberg die aus ihrer Sicht zentralen Entwicklungsfelder und Herausforderungen der kommenden Jahre. Die Bibliotheken und das Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg (BSZ) sorgen als Wissenschafts- und Kultureinrichtungen gemeinsam für die akademische Informationsinfrastruktur. Sie nehmen die Herausforderungen der Digitalisierung an und gestalten den Wandel im Dialog mit Forschenden, Lehrenden und Studierenden aktiv mit.
During curing of thermosetting resins the technologically relevant properties of binders and coatings develop. However, curing is difficult to monitor due to the multitude of chemical and physical processes taking place. Precise prediction of specific technological properties based on molecular properties is very difficult. In this study, the potential of principal component analysis (PCA) and principal component regression (PCR) in the analysis of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra is demonstrated using the example of melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin curing in solid state. FTIR/PCA-based reaction trajectories are used to visualize the influence of temperature on isothermal cure. An FTIR/PCR model for predicting the hydrolysis resistance of cured MF resin from their spectral fingerprints is presented which illustrates the advantages of FTIR/PCR compared to the combination differential scanning calorimetry/isoconversional kinetic analysis. The presented methodology is transferable to the curing reactions of any thermosetting resin and can be applied to model other technologically relevant final properties as well.
This article studies the renewed interest surrounding sustainable public finance and the topic of tax evasion as well as the new theory of information inattention. Extending a model of tax evasion with the notion of inattention reveals novel findings about policy instruments that can be used to mitigate tax evasion. We show that the attention parameters regarding tax rates, financial penalty schemes and income levels are as important as the level of the detection probability and the financial penalty incurred. Thus, our theory recommends the enhancement of sustainability in public policy, particularly in tax policy. Consequently, the paper contributes both to the academic and public policy debate.
The effect of hard segment content and diisocyanate structure on the transparency and mechanical properties of soft poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based urea elastomers (PSUs) was investigated. A series of PSU elastomers were synthesized from an aminopropyl-terminated PDMS (M¯n: 16,300 g·mol−1), which was prepared by ring chain equilibration of the monomers octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and 1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)-tetramethyldisiloxane (APTMDS). The hard segments (HSs) comprised diisocyanates of different symmetry, i.e., 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) (H12MDI), 4,4′-methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), and trans-1,4-cyclohexane diisocyanate (CHDI). The HS contents of the PSU elastomers based on H12MDI and IPDI were systematically varied between 5% and 20% by increasing the ratio of the diisocyanate and the chain extender APTMDS. PSU copolymers of very low urea HS contents (1.0–1.6%) were prepared without the chain extender. All PSU elastomers and copolymers exhibited good elastomeric properties and displayed elongation at break values between 600% and 1100%. The PSUs with HS contents below 10% were transparent and became increasingly translucent at HS contents of 15% and higher. The Young’s modulus (YM) and ultimate tensile strength values of the elastomers increased linearly with increasing HS content. The YM values differed significantly among the PSU copolymers depending on the symmetry of the diisocyanate. The softest elastomer was that based on the asymmetric IPDI. The elastomers synthesized from H12MDI and MDI both exhibited an intermediate YM, while the stiffest elastomer, i.e., that comprising the symmetric CHDI, had a YM three-times higher than that prepared with IPDI. The PSUs were subjected to load–unload cycles at 100% and 300% strain to study the influence of HS morphology on 10-cycle hysteresis behavior. At 100% strain, the first-cycle hysteresis values of the IPDI- and H12MDI-based elastomers first decreased to a minimum of approximately 9–10% at an HS content of 10% and increased again to 22–28% at an HS content of 20%. A similar, though less pronounced, trend was observed at 300% strain. First-cycle hysteresis among the PSU copolymers at 100% strain was lowest in the case of CHDI and highest in the IPDI-based elastomer. However, this effect was reversed at 300% strain, with CHDI displaying the highest hysteresis in the first cycle. In vitro cytotoxicity tests performed using HaCaT cells did not show any adverse effects, revealing their potential suitability for biomedical applications.
Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes wurden Ausrüstungsmittel und -verfahren entwickelt, die dem vorbeugenden Schutz von Textilien (insbesondere Bodenbelägen) vor Anschmutzung dienen. Das Verfahren sieht eine kombinierte Ausrüstung von Textilien mit fluorierten Polymeren mit inkorporierten Nanopartikeln (in erster Linie: SiO2) zur Erhöhung der Rauhigkeit vor. Es wurden kommerziell erhältliche Hydrophobiermittel (Fluorcarbon- oder Kohlenwasserstoff-basierte Polymere) in Kombination mit SiO2-Nanopartikeln auf Teppiche aufgebracht und hinsichtlich eines Anschmutzens - z.B. durch Kaffee, KoolAid, Rotwein, AATCC Standard Soil, schwarze Schuhcreme - untersucht. Hierzu wurden die scherempfindlichen Dispersionen der Hydrophobiermittel mit neu entwickelten angepassten Dispersionen von SiO2-Nanopartikel versetzt. Die SiO2-Nanopartikel wurden mit systematisch variierten Größen von 10-1.000 nm synthetisiert, umfassend charakterisiert und mit Hilfe von neu entwickelten Fluormethacrylat-Copolymeren mit reaktiven Gruppen (Maleinsäure-, Itaconsäure- oder Citraconsäureanhydrid) und hydrophilen Modifiern (Alkohol- oder Amingruppen) stabilisiert. Die resultierenden Polymer-Teilchen-Dispersionen konnten aus wässrigen oder ethanolisch-wässrigen Lösungen auf Textilien (PA-, PES- oder WO-Teppiche und -Gewebe) appliziert werden. Weiterhin wurden auch die neu entwickelten Fluorcarbon-Polymere hinsichtlich ihrer Anwendung getestet. In Anschmutzungsversuchen wiesen die so ausgerüsteten Teppiche ein geringeres Anschmutzen durch Standardschmutz als Referenzmaterialien auf. Die Beständigkeit der Ausrüstung bei mechanischer Belastung konnte durch Vernetzung der Polymere auf dem Textilmaterial verbessert werden. Für PA 6- und PA 6.6-Teppiche wurden die besten Ergebnisse hinsichtlich eines geringeren Anschmutzens durch wasserlösliche Verschmutzungen (Kaffee, Rotwein, KoolAid) im Vergleich zu unbehandelten Teppichen ermittelt, wenn die Ausrüstung mit Fluorpolymer-stabilisierten SiO2-Nanopartikeln oder mit einer kombinierten Dispersion aus SiO2-Partikeln und Fluorcarbonharzen vorgenommen wurde. Eine im Vergleich zu unbehandelten Teppichen weniger starke Anschmutzung durch AATCC Standard Soil (DIN EN ISO 11378-2) wurde für mit SiO2-Partikeln behandelte PA 6-Teppiche ermittelt. Hydrophobe Anschmutzungen (z.B. schwarze Schuhcreme) konnten von mit Fluorcarbon-Polymeren ausgerüsteten Teppichen am besten entfernt werden. Die Kombination von SiO2-Partikeln mit Fluorcarbon-Polymeren erwies sich meist als günstiger als die alleinige Behandlung mit Fluorcarbonharzen. Ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Größe der Nanopartikel, der Abrasionsbeständigkeit und den Reinigungseigenschaften wurde festgestellt, und es konnte gezeigt werden, dass FC-Nanopartikel-Composites diese verbessern. Die mechanische Beständigkeit der Antischmutzausrüstung mit SiO2-Nanopartikeln und Fluorcarbon-Polymeren auf Polyamidteppichen wurde z.B. durch Hexapod-Trommelbeanspruchung (nach ISO 10361) geprüft. Durch REM, IR-Spektroskopie und den Wassertropfentest wurde nach 4.000 und auch nach 12.000 Touren noch eine intakte Beschichtung nachgewiesen. Mit Vernetzern, die das Polymer selbst, das Polymer mit Partikeln und/oder der Substratoberfläche vernetzen, konnte z.T. die Abrasionsbeständigkeit verbessert werden (hier müssen ggf. optimalere Vernetzer gesucht werden).
Die Ausrüstung von Textilien mit Sol-Gel-Beschichtungen wird seit einigen Jahren intensiv verfolgt. Eine Vielzahl von bekannten, aber auch neuen Ausrüstungseffekten können über diesen Ansatz realisiert werden. Besonders interessant ist die Sol-Gel-Technik wegen der Möglichkeiten, multifunktionelle Ausrüstungen zu synthetisieren. Problematisch ist eine in vielen Fällen geringe Beständigkeit solcher Ausrüstungen, insbesondere gegenüber Waschprozessen. Ziel des Projektes war es davon ausgehend, Vorbehandlungsstrategien für textile Fasermaterialien, basierend auf synthetischen Polymeren oder aus Naturfasern, zu entwickeln, die die Haltbarkeit von Sol-Gel-basierten Ausrüstungen verbessern. Im Rahmen der Arbeiten wurden, angepasst an die jeweiligen Faserpolymere - Polyethylenterephthalat, Polyamid, Polypropylen und Baumwolle - funktionelle Gruppen über geeignete Anker auf den Polymeren etabliert, die in der Lage sind, kovalente Bindungen zu Sol-Gel-basierten Beschichtungssystemen auszubilden. Als Anker wurden primär Trialkoxysilane verwendet, die zusätzlich z.B. Epoxy-, Isocyanato-, Azido- oder Amino-funktionelle Reste besitzen. Mit diesen Resten können die Anker kovalent an die Polymere angebunden werden. Die meisten Sol-Gel-basierten Systeme enthalten zumindest zu einem gewissen Anteil SiOx und/oder MexOy-Cluster. Die zur Funktionalisierung der Oberflächen eingesetzten Alkoxysilane können generell an solche Systeme/Cluster per Kondensation gebunden werden und dienen daher für die effektive Anbindung verschiedenster funktioneller Sol-Gel-Schichten. Entsprechend vorfunktionalisierte Substrate wurden in der Folge mit exemplarisch ausgewählten Sol-Gel-Ausrüstungen beschichtet. Dabei wurden für den Großteil der Untersuchungen hydrophobierende Sole appliziert. Vorteilhaft ist, dass sich der mit hydrophobierenden Solen erzielte Ausrüstungseffekt genau wie dessen Beständigkeit mit vergleichsweise überschaubarem Aufwand über die Untersuchung der Benetzbarkeit (DuPont-Noten, Kontaktwinkel, Tropfeneinsinkzeiten) charakterisieren lässt. Die Wirksamkeit der Vorbehandlungen wurde dann vor allem anhand von Untersuchungen zur Waschbeständigkeit der Ausrüstungen überprüft. Im Rahmen der Arbeiten konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich über die Etablierung geeigneter Anker die Beständigkeit von Sol-Gel-Ausrüstungen bzw. der daraus hervorgehenden Effekte verbessern lässt. Es zeigt sich gleichzeitig, dass die erzielten Verbesserungen sehr stark vom jeweiligen Sol abhängen. D.h., dass sich erzielte Verbesserungen nicht zwangsläufig auf andere Sol übertragen lassen. Analytische Charakterisierungen weisen darauf hin, dass in vielen Fällen die Beständigkeit der Beschichtungsnetzwerke selbst einen weit größeren Einfluss besitzt als die Anbindung an das Substrat. So zeigt sich bei verschiedenen Untersuchungen, dass die Auflage der Sol-Gel-Beschichtung vor allem nach einer ersten Wäsche, aber auch darüber hinaus, signifikant sinkt, oftmals aber ohne dass der durch Ausrüstung erzielte Effekt verloren geht. Dies deutet auf ein (Auf-)Lösen der Beschichtungsmatrizes hin, wovor die Anker nicht schützen können, da deren Wirkung auf die Grenzfläche zum Substrat beschränkt ist. Neben den hydrophobierenden Ausrüstungen wurden exemplarisch auch antibakterielle Ausrüstungen nach den entsprechenden Vorbehandlungen appliziert. Auch hier konnten Verbesserungen in der Beständigkeit des Effektes erzielt werden. Abschließend wurde untersucht inwieweit sich die Vorbehandlungen im Vergleich zur einfachen Ausrüstung negativ auf die textilen Produkte auswirken. Hierzu wurden relevante textile Parameter wie z.B. Höchstzugkräfte, Weißgrade, Steifigkeit oder Luftdurchlässigkeiten bestimmt. Diese Parameter wurden in der überwiegenden Zahl der Vorbehandlungen nicht oder nur geringfügig beeinflusst.
The chemical synthesis of polysiloxanes from monomeric starting materials involves a series of hydrolysis, condensation and modification reactions with complex monomeric and oligomeric reaction mixtures. Real-time monitoring and precise process control of the synthesis process is of great importance to ensure reproducible intermediates and products and can readily be performed by optical spectroscopy. In chemical reactions involving rapid and simultaneous functional group transformations and complex reaction mixtures, however, the spectroscopic signals are often ambiguous due to overlapping bands, shifting peaks and changing baselines. The univariate analysis of individual absorbance signals is hence often only of limited use. In contrast, batch modelling based on the multivariate analysis of the time course of principal components (PCs) derived from the reaction spectra provides a more efficient tool for real time monitoring. In batch modelling, not only single absorbance bands are used but information over a broad range of wavelengths is extracted from the evolving spectral fingerprints and used for analysis. Thereby, process control can be based on numerous chemical and morphological changes taking place during synthesis. “Bad” (or abnormal) batches can quickly be distinguished from “normal” ones by comparing the respective reaction trajectories in real time. In this work, FTIR spectroscopy was combined with multivariate data analysis for the in-line process characterization and batch modelling of polysiloxane formation. The synthesis was conducted under different starting conditions using various reactant concentrations. The complex spectral information was evaluated using chemometrics (principal component analysis, PCA). Specific spectral features at different stages of the reaction were assigned to the corresponding reaction steps. Reaction trajectories were derived based on batch modelling using a wide range of wavelengths. Subsequently, complexity was reduced again to the most relevant absorbance signals in order to derive a concept for a low-cost process spectroscopic set-up which could be used for real-time process monitoring and reaction control.
5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF) and furfural are interesting as potential platform chemicals for a bio-based chemical production economy. Within the scope of this work, the process routes under technical development for the production of these platform chemicals were investigated. For two selected processes, the material and energy flows, as well as the carbon footprint, were examined in detail. The possible production process optimizations, further development potentials, and the research demand against the background of the reduction of the primary energy expenditure were worked out.
Customer foresight is a relatively new research field. We introduce the customer foresight territory by discussing its localization between customer research and foresight research. For this purpose, we look at a variety of methods that help to understand customers and future realities. On this basis we provide an overview of customer foresight methods and outline an ideal-typical research journey.
Energieversorgungsunternehmen sehen sich gegenwärtig und mit dem Voranschreiten der Energiewende mit einer Vielzahl von Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Die zunehmende Dezentralisierung und Digitalisierung der Energiewirtschaft zwingen die EVU zusammen mit dem steigenden Wettbewerbs- und Kostendruck dazu, von den gewohnten Pfaden des Commodity-Geschäfts abzuweichen und neue Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln sowie neue Geschäftsfelder zu erschließen. Die Kunden rücken mit ihren zunehmend individualisierten und komplexen Bedürfnissen in den Mittelpunkt des Interesses. Wollen EVU langfristig am Markt erfolgreich sein, müssen sie sich vom klassischen Energieversorger als Anbieter von einfachen Produkten hin zu innovativen, kundenzentrierten Energiedienstleistern weiterentwickeln. Ein Schlüssel hierfür stellt die Entwicklung von Energiedienstleistungen dar. Gleichzeitig tun sich viele EVU mit dieser Entwicklung jedoch aufgrund interner Hemmnisse wie fehlender personeller Kapazitäten, einer angesichts des dynamischen Marktumfeldes unflexiblen Organisation mit langen Entwicklungsdauern, geringen Budgets sowie mangelndem fachlichen und/ oder methodischen Know-How schwer. Dies zeigen die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Studie unter Geschäftsführern und Vorständen in der Energiewirtschaft.
Our paper investigates the response of acquiring firms’ stock returns around the announcement date in cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) between listed Chinese acquirers and German targets. We apply an event study methodology to examine the shareholder value effect based on a sample of M&A deals over the most recent period of 2012-2018. We apply a market model event study based on the argumentation of Brown and Warner (1985) and use short-term observation periods according to Andrade, Mitchell, and Stafford (2001) as well as Hackbarth and Morellec (2008). The results indicate that the announcement of M&A involving German targets results in a positive cumulative abnormal return of on average 2.18% for Chinese acquirers’ shareholders in a five-day symmetric event window. Furthermore, we found slight indications of possible information leakage prior to the formal announcement. Although it shows that the size of acquiring firms is not necessarily correlated with the positive abnormal returns in the short run, this study suggests that Chinese acquirers’ shareholders gain higher abnormal returns when the German targets are non-listed companies.
Das Internet der Dinge verändert die Customer-Experience nachhaltig, beispielsweise indem neue Dienste die Konsumenten kognitiv entlasten. Das Management sollte die neuen Interaktionsmöglichkeiten mit den Konsumenten nutzen und leistungsfähige Benutzerschnittstellen entwickeln sowie analytisches Know-how und Partnerschaften aufbauen.
Matthias Varga von Kibéd und Insa Sparrer unterscheiden zwischen drei verschiedenen Aufstellungsmethoden (Sparrer und Varga von Kibéd, o. D.): Der spezifisch (konkreten), der virtuellen und der prototypischen Aufstellung. Bei spezifischen Aufstellungen wird ein konkretes Anliegen eines Klienten betrachtet. Im Gegensatz dazu, werden bei virtuellen Aufstellungen eine Übungsumgebung geschaffen. In dieser können Aufstellungstechniken und Interventionsmethoden geübt werden. Bei prototypischen Strukturaufstellungen werden Themen zusammengefasst, die mehrere Teilnehmer im Seminar berühren bzw. in deren Alltag immer wieder auftreten können. Dieses Thema wird wie eine spezifische Aufstellung bearbeitet jedoch ohne ein konkretes vorliegendes Anliegen. Beispiele für prototypische Strukturaufstellungen kommen aus vielen Bereichen z.B. dem Führungsalltag, Teamentwicklung, Konfliktmanagement, Gesprächsführung, Zeit‐ und Selbstmanagement.
Customer orientation should be the core engine of every organisation while IT can be considered as the enabler to generate competitive advantages along customer processes in marketing, sales and service. Research shows that customer relationship management (CRM) enables organisations to perform better and experience indicates that organisations that focus on customer orientation are more successful. With marketplace organisations such as Amazon, Alibaba or Conrad shaping the future of customer centricity and information technology, German B2B organisations need to shift their value contribution from product-centric to customer-centric. While these organisations are currently attempting to implement CRM software and putting their customers more into focus, the question remains how organisations are approaching the implementation of CRM and whether these attempts are paying off in terms of business performance.
Companies compete more and more as integrated supply chains rather than as individual firms. The success of the entire supply chain determines the economic well-being of the individual company. With management attention shifting to supply chains, the role of management accounting naturally must extend to the cross-company layer as well. This book demonstrates how management accounting can make a significant contribution to supply chain success.It targets students who are already familiar with the fundamentals of accounting and now want to extend their expertise in the field of cross company (or network) management accounting. Practitioners will draw valuable insights from the text as well.
Innovationskraft ist einer der wesentlichen Erfolgsfaktoren der Zukunft, welcher den Unterschied zwischen erfolgreichen und scheiternden Unternehmen in hohem Maße beeinflussen wird (PWC, 2015). Besonders junge Unternehmen und Start-ups sind für ihre hohe Innovationsfähigkeit bekannt. Etablierte Unternehmen hingegen punkten weniger mit neuen Ideen, aber dafür mit innovationskritischen Ressourcen, Routinen und Skaleneffekten. Ein stetig an Popularität gewinnender Ansatz, die Fähigkeiten und Ressourcen von etablierten Unternehmen mit der Innovationskraft von Start-ups zu verknüpfen, stellt das "Intrapreneurship" dar.
Die klassischen Vertriebsaufgaben verändern sich intensiv und schnell. Vertriebsmanager benötigen dringend neue strategische Ansätze, wie sie künftig Kundenkontakte gestalten, Distributionskanäle steuern und effektiver verkaufen können. Eine aktuelle Studie gibt Aufschluss, wie sich Unternehmen auf den Strukturwandel einstellen können.
In this work, a brushless, harmonic-excited wound-rotor synchronous machine is investigated which utilizes special stator and rotor windings. The windings magnetically decouple the fundamental torque-producing field from the harmonic field required for the inductive power transfer to the field coil. In contrast to conventional harmonic-excited synchronous machines, the whole winding is utilized for both torque production and harmonic excitation such that no additional copper for auxiliary windings is needed. Different rotor topologies using rotating power electronic components are investigated and their efficiencies have been compared based on Finite-Element calculation and circuit analysis.
The automation of work by means of disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is currently intensely discussed in business practice and academia. Recent studies indicate that many tasks manually conducted by humans today will not in the future. In a similar vein, it is expected that new roles will emerge. The aim of this study is to analyze prospective employment opportunities in the context of RPA in order to foster our understanding of the pivotal qualifications, expertise and skills necessary to find an occupation in a completely changing world of work. This study is based on an explorative, content analysis of 119 job advertisements related to RPA in Germany. The data was collected from major German online job platforms, qualitatively coded, and subsequently analyzed quantitatively. The research indicates that there indeed are employment opportunities, especially in the consulting sector. The positions require different technological expertise such as specific programming languages and knowledge in statistics. The results of this study provide guidance for organizations and individuals on reskilling requirements for future employment. As many of the positions require profound IT expertise, the generally accepted perspective that existing employees affected by automation can be retrained to work in the emerging positions has to be seen extremely critical. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a novel perspective on the ongoing discussion of employment opportunities, and reskilling demands of the existing workforce in the context of recent technological developments and automation.
The shift of populations to cities is creating challenges in many respects, thus leading to increasing demand for smart solutions of urbanization problems. Smart city applications range from technical and social to economic and ecological. The main focus of this work is to provide a systematic literature review of smart city research to answer two main questions: (1) How is current research on smart cities structured? and (2) What directions are relevant for future research on smart cities? To answer these research questions, a text-mining approach is applied to a large number of publications. This provides an overview and gives insights into relevant dimensions of smart city research. Although the main dimensions of research are already described in the literature, an evaluation of the relevance of such dimensions is missing. Findings suggest that the dimensions of environment and governance are popular, while the dimension of economy has received only limited attention.
Machine learning (ML) techniques are rapidly evolving, both in academia and practice. However, enterprises show different maturity levels in successfully implementing ML techniques. Thus, we review the state of adoption of ML in enterprises. We find that ML technologies are being increasingly adopted in enterprises, but that small and medium-size enterprises (SME) are struggling with the introduction in comparison to larger enterprises. In order to identify enablers and success factors we conduct a qualitative empirical study with 18 companies in different industries. The results show that especially SME fail to apply ML technologies due to insufficient ML knowhow. However, partners and appropriate tools can compensate this lack of resources. We discuss approaches to bridge the gap for SME.
The shift of populations to cities is creating challenges in many respects, thus leading to increasing demand for smart solutions of urbanization problems. Smart city applications range from technical and social to economic and ecological. The main focus of this work is to provide a systematic literature review of smart city research to answer two main questions: (1) How is current research on smart cities structured? And (2) What directions are relevant for future research on smart cities? To answer these research questions, a text-mining approach is applied to a large number of publications. This provides an overview and gives insights into relevant dimensions of smart city research. Although the main dimensions of research are already described in the literature, an evaluation of the relevance of such dimensions is missing. Findings suggest that the dimensions of environment and governance are popular, while the dimension of economy has received only limited attention.
Autonomous driving is becoming the next big digital disruption in the automotive industry. However, the possibility of integrating autonomous driving vehicles into current transportation systems not only involves technological issues but also requires the acceptance and adoption of users. Therefore, this paper develops a conceptual model for user acceptance of autonomous driving vehicles. The corresponding model is tested through a standardized survey of 470 respondents in Germany. Finally, the findings are discussed in relation to the current developments in the automotive industry, and recommendations for further research are given.
With significant advancements in digital technologies, firms find themselves competing in an increasingly dynamic business environment. It is of paramount importance that organizations undertake proper governance mechanisms with respect to their business and IT strategies. Therefore, IT governance (ITG) has become an important factor for firm performance. In recent years, agility has evolved as a core concept for governance, especially in the area of software development. However, the impact of agility on ITG and firm performance has not been analyzed by the broad scientific community. This paper focuses on the question, how the concept of agility affects the ITG–firm performance relationship. The conceptual model for this question was tested by a quantitative research process with 400 executives responding to a standardized survey. Findings show that the adoption of agile principles, values, and best practices to the context of ITG leads to meaningful results for governance, business/IT alignment, and firm performance.
The advent of chatbots in customer service solutions received increasing attention by research and practice throughout the last years. However, the relevant dimensions and features for service quality and service performance for chatbots remain quite unclear. Therefore, this research develops and tests a conceptual model for customer service quality and customer service performance in the context of chatbots. Additionally, the impact of the developed service dimensions on different customer relationship metrics is measured across different service channels (hotline versus chatbots). Findings of six independent studies indicate a strong main effect of the conceptualized service dimensions on customer satisfaction, service costs, intention to service reusage, word-of-mouth, and customer loyalty. However, different service dimensions are relevant for chatbots compared to a traditional service hotline.
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning or deep learning, have been predicted to highly impact future organizations and radically change the way how projects are managed. The Project Management Institute (PMI), the network of around 1.1 million certified project managers, ranked AI as one of the top three disruptors of their profession. In an own study on the effect of AI, 37% of the project management processes can be executed by machine learning and other AI technologies. In addition, Gartner recently postulated that 80% of the work of today's project managers may be eliminated by AI in 2030.
This editorial aims to outline today's project and portfolio management in context of pharmaceutical research and development (R&D), followed by an AI-vision and a more tangible mission, and illustrate what the consequences of an AI-enabled project and portfolio management could be for pharmaceutical R&D.
Resilienz und Stabilität? Weichenstellungen im Banken- und Finanzsystem in der Corona-Pandemie
(2020)
Seit der globalen Finanzkrise 2008/2009 hat es keine vergleichbare Herausforderung wie die Corona-Krise für das Finanz- und Bankensystem mehr gegeben.
Schwache Profitabilität, ungelöste Regulierungs-herausforderungen und steigende Konkurrenz im Digitalbereich stellen die Banken vor weitere Heraus-forderungen.
Die Stabilität des Finanzsystems und der Zugang zu den Finanzmärkten war während der Pandemie nicht gefährdet. Durch gemeinsame Bemühungen und bes-sere Bankenkapitalisierung ist das Finanzsystem heute widerstandsfähiger als zu Zeiten der Finanzkrise.
Sofern die Zuschüsse und Kredite im „Next Genera-tion EU“-Fund zielgerichtet für Strukturreformen und Zukunftsinvestitionen eingesetzt werden, dürfte dies einen Vertrauens- und Wachstumsimpuls darstellen.
Weitere Verbesserungen der Finanzstabilität, wie erhöhte Eigenkapitalunterlegungen, Regulierung von Schattenbanken oder Reformen im Bereich der Finanzaufsicht, sind jedoch von Nöten.
Since the global financial crisis of 2008/2009, there has been no challenge to the financial and banking system comparable to that during the Corona crisis.
Weak profitability, unresolved regulatory challenges and increasing competition in the digital sector pose further challenges for banks.
The stability of the financial system and access to financial markets was not at risk during the pandemic. Through joint efforts and better bank capitalisation, the financial system is now more resilient than during the financial crisis.
Provided that grants and loans in the “next generation EU” fund are well targeted for structural reforms and investments in the future, this should boost confi-dence and growth.
However, further improvements in financial stability, such as increased capital requirements, regulation of shadow banks or reforms in financial supervision, are needed.
The article studies a novel approach of inflation modeling in economics. We utilize a stochastic differential equation (SDE) of the form dXt=aXtdt+bXtdBtH, where dBtH is a fractional Brownian motion in order to model inflationary dynamics. Standard economic models do not capture the stochastic nature of inflation in the Eurozone. Thus, we develop a new stochastic approach and take into consideration fractional Brownian motions as well as Lévy processes. The benefits of those stochastic processes are the modeling of interdependence and jumps, which is equally confirmed by empirical inflation data. The article defines and introduces the rules for stochastic and fractional processes and elucidates the stochastic simulation output.
This paper studies the impact of financial liquidity on the macro-economy. We extend a classic macroeconomic modeland compute numerical simulations. The model confirms that persistently low inflation can occur despite a high degreeof financial liquidity due to a reallocation of cash, normal and risk-free bonds. In that regard, our model uncovers anexplanation of a flat Phillips curve. Overall, our approach contributes to a rather disregarded matter in macroeconomictheory.
Relationship between a high-performance work system and employee outcomes: a multilevel analysis
(2020)
Although research on high-performance work systems (HPWS) is increasing, there are few studies in which the focus is on whether and how firm-level HPWS affect individual-level employee outcomes. Using social identity theory, we examined the relationship between HPWS and employee outcomes, and the role organizational identification plays as a mediator in this relationship. We used a multilevel research design and collected data at the organizational and individual levels from a sample of 485 employees of 32 companies in Guangdong Province, China. We used Amos 17.0 and hierarchical linear modeling 6.08 software to examine our hypotheses and the theoretical model. Results showed that organizational identification fully mediated the relationship between HPWS and employees’ job performance as well as that between HPWS and their turnover intention. Our findings provide new insights into the relationship between firm-level human resource management and individual-level employee outcomes, and highlight the importance of considering the implementation of HPWS practices to strengthen employees’ identification with the organization and improve their performance.
In an effort to make the cultural and institutional aspects of energy efficiency in industrial organizations more visible, this article introduces a theoretical framework of decision-making processes. Taking a sociological perspective and viewing organizations as cultural systems embedded in wider social contexts, I have developed a multilevel framework addressing institutional, organizational, and individual dimensions shaping decisions on energy efficiency. The framework's development is based on qualitative empirical fieldwork and integrates insights into organizational theory; neo-institutional theory, the attention-based view of the firm, and organizational culture theories. I conclude that decisions on energy efficiency are results of problematization and theorization processes. These processes emerge between the institutional issue-field, the organization, and its members. The model explains decisions shaped by environment (external and material), organizational processes (energy-efficiency practices, climate and culture) and individuals’ characteristics. The framework serves several purposes: introducing a meta-theory of decision making, providing a concept for empirical analysis, and enabling connectivity to the research on barriers.
Participation in fast fashion brands’ clothes recycling plans in an omnichannel retail environment
(2020)
The rise of the fast fashion industry allows more and more people to participate in fashion consumption, but goes along with negative consequences on the environment. To reduce wastage, fast fashion retailers have begun to offer used clothes recycling plans to which customers can submit clothes they no longer wear. Since these recycling plans have mainly been operated in offline stores so far, the rise of omnichannel retailing poses new challenges on retailers with regard to organizing the plan and motivating consumers to participate. On a sample of N=370 Chinese fast fashion consumers, this paper investigates, which factors determine consumers’ willingness to participate in fast fashion brands’ used clothes recycling plans in an omnichannel retailing environment. It finds that consumers’ clothes recycling intention is determined by individual predispositions (environmental attitude, impulsive consumption), as well as by organizational arrangements (channel integration quality), as well as by the outcomes of their interaction (consumer satisfaction, brand identification). Conclusions are drawn, implications for omnichannel fast fashion retailing practice, as well as for further research, derived, and limitations discussed.
Whether diversity enhances or impedes team creativity remains an issue of scholarly debate. Explanations of this ambiguity often lie in how diversity is both operationalized and measured. Eschewing the popular approach of using differences in objective criteria to signal diversity, a deep-level approach that focuses on differences in personal values is taken in this study. Value diversity is measured in the two forms of variety and separation and their associations with team creativity are explored. The investigation is augmented by considering the mediating role of team communication in these associations. The analysis was conducted on a sample of 98 teams, using both subjective and objective measures. The findings reveal that when considering value diversity in terms of variety, there is a positive association between diversity and team creativity. However, when the separation dimension of value diversity is considered, a negative association between diversity and team creativity is identified. Complex pathways pertaining to the role of communication within these relationships are also uncovered. In moving beyond rudimentary categories and measurement of diversity, this study further elucidates the complexity of the diversity–creativity relationship. Conclusions are drawn and implications for further research and managerial practice are derived.
Despite strong political efforts in Europe, industrial small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) seem to neglect adopting practices for energy effciency. By taking a cultural perspective, this study investigated what drives the establishment of energy effciency and corresponding practices in SMEs. Based on 10 ethnographic case studies and a quantitative survey among 500 manufacturing SMEs, the results indicate the importance of everyday employee behavior in achieving energy savings. The studied enterprises value behavior related measures as similarly important as technical measures. Raising awareness for energy issues within the organization, therefore, constitutes an essential leadership task that is oftentimes perceived as challenging and frustrating. It was concluded that the embedding of energy efficiency in corporate strategy, the use of a broad spectrum of different practices, and the empowerment and involvement of employees serve as major drivers in establishing energy effciency within SMEs. Moreover, the findings reveal institutional influences on shaping the meanings of energy effciency for the SMEs by raising attention for energy effciency in the enterprises and making energy effciency decisions more likely. The main contribution of the paper is to offer an alternative perspective on energy effciency in SMEs beyond the mere adoption of energy-effcient technology.
Businesses need to cope with myriad challenges including increasingly competitive markets and rapid developments in digital technology. The overall aim of the research described in this paper is to generate fresh insights into the impacts of digitalisation on the design and management of global supply chains. It focuses on understanding the current adoption rate of new technologies in global supply chains, identifying perceived opportunities and challenges and clarifying the critical factors driving (and inhibiting) their deployment. The authors administered an online survey with a global sample of respondents from various supply chain functions, resulting in a sample of 142 responses. Significant differences emerged in adoption patterns between companies of different sizes. Moreover, the study pointed to a widening gap (or a ‘digital divide’) between leaders and laggards in terms of technology adoption. Perceived benefits and challenges also differ notably between companies of varying sizes. Adoption patterns are very diverse across specific technologies. The results further suggest that there is a significant correlation between adoption of digital technologies and different dimensions of company performance.
Lean Management hat in viele Unternehmen Einzug gehalten. Lean Konzepte stellen neue Anforderungen an die Art und Struktur der benötigten Kosteninformation, welche von traditionallen Kostenrechnungssystemen nicht unmittelbar erfüllt werden. Vertreter eines „Lean Accounting“ schlagen deshalb teils radikale Änderungen und eine Vereinfachung der Kostenrechnung vor. Der Beitrag diskutiert die Beschränkungen der traditionellen Kostenrechnung bei der Umsetzung von Lean Management und stellt ausgewählte Ansätze eines „Accounting for Lean“ vor. Die Analyse zeigt, dass Ansätze des Lean Accounting zu eng fokussiert sind und die in der Praxis vorhandene Pluralität der Kostenrechnungsfunktionen nicht adäquat abbilden können. Eine radikale Neugestaltung bestehender Kostenrechnungssysteme wird deshalb als unrealistisch und unbegründet verworfen. Der Beitrag entwickelt alternative Vorschläge, wie Konzepte des Lean Managements und die dafür benötigte Kosteninformation in traditionellen Kostenrechnungssystemen integriert werden können.
A holistic approach to digitization enables decision-makers to achieve new efficiency in corporate performance management. The digitalization improves the quality, validity and speed of information retrieval and processing. At present, most corporations are confronted with the problem of not being able to organize, categorize and visualize decision-relevant information. To meet the challenges of information management, the Management Cockpit provides an information center for managers. In accordance with the specific working environment of the executives, the Management Cockpit offers a quick and comprehensive overview of the company's situation. Today, the current situation of a company is no longer only influenced by internal factors, but also by its public image. Social media monitoring and analysis is therefore a crucial component for the external factors of successful management. Real-time monitoring of the emotions and behaviors of consumers and customers thus contributes to effective controlling of allbusiness areas. The intelligent factories promise to collect data for internal factors, but the current reality in manufacturing looks different. Production often consists of a large number of different machines, with varying degrees of digitization and limited sensor data availability. In order to close this gap, we developed a compact sensor board with network components, which allows a flexible design with different sensors for a wide variety of applications. The sensor data enable decision makers to adapt the supply chain based on their internal and external observations in the Management Cockpit. Due to the realtime and long-term monitoring and analytic possibilities the Management Cockpit provides a multi-dimensional view of the company and supports an holistic Corporate Performance Management.
Industrielle Produktionseinrichtungen haben mit rund 40% einen signifikanten Anteil am Gesamtenergiebedarf in Deutschland. Daher wurden und werden sie sowohl technologisch als auch energetisch optimiert. Häufig geht die technologischwirtschaftliche Optimierung auch mit der Reduzierung des Energie und Materialverbrauchs einher. Zudem macht der Ausbau der regenerativen Energiequellen die Energieerzeugung zunehmend volatiler, sodass nicht nur die Senkung des absoluten Energieverbrauchs, sondern auch eine höhere Flexibilität (Steuerung der Leistung über der Zeit) zunehmend interessanter wird. Dadurch ändert sich oft die installierte Leistung sowie die Gestaltung der Verlustleistungsabfuhr, was die Dimensionierung von Anlagen, zum Beispiel von spanenden Werkzeugmaschinen, beeinflusst.
Since Adam Smith, the “homo oeconomicus” is the behavioural model in economics. Commonly this model characterizes a selfish individual, a kind of ruthless type, whose greed for profit seems to take precedence over moral values. Already 100 years ago, Max Weber provided a modernization of the model concerning the methodological individualism. Recent research in cognitive sciences reveals a further modernization of this standard model in economics. Neuro-economics, a highly interdisciplinary research field, is building a new behavioural consensus. This article examines the new properties of the “neuro-homo oeconomicus”. We show that the new behavioural model is rather similar to the long-standing economic prototype. To that extent, the neuro-model is more hype than hope. In principle, this article considers an ancient philosophical question about the nature of humans in general.
The Twelfth International Conference on Advances in Databases, Knowledge, and Data Applications (DBKDA 2020) continued a series of events covering a large spectrum of topics related to advances in fundamentals on databases, evolution of relation between databases and other domains, data base technologies and content processing, as well as specifics in applications domains databases. Advances in different technologies and domains related to databases triggered substantial improvements for content processing, information indexing, and data, process and knowledge mining. The push came from Web services, artificial intelligence, and agent technologies, as well as from the generalization of the XML adoption. High-speed communications and computations, large storage capacities, and load-balancing for distributed databases access allow new approaches for content processing with incomplete patterns, advanced ranking algorithms and advanced indexing methods. Evolution on e-business, ehealth and telemedicine, bioinformatics, finance and marketing, geographical positioning systems put pressure on database communities to push the ‘de facto’ methods to support new requirements in terms of scalability, privacy, performance, indexing, and heterogeneity of both content and technology.
