330 Wirtschaft
Refine
Document Type
- Journal article (240) (remove)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (240)
Institute
- ESB Business School (202)
- Informatik (22)
- Texoversum (9)
- Technik (6)
- Life Sciences (2)
Publisher
- MIM, Marken-Institut München (20)
- Lange (13)
- Thexis Verlag (13)
- Emerald (11)
- LIT (11)
- MDPI (10)
- Elsevier (8)
- Springer (6)
- Handelsblatt Fachmedien (5)
- Hochschule Reutlingen (5)
Tech hubs (THs) and cognate structures are nowadays ubiquitous in the innovation ecosystem of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. However, the concept of THs is fuzzy due to the lack of a clear and universally accepted definition. This ambiguity is further compounded by the diverse range of organizations that self-identify as hubs, or are categorized as such by others. As a result, research on THs in SSA remained limited. Against the backdrop of established research on the interconnectedness of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship in different organizational forms, this paper is meant to provide fresh insights into the study of THs in SSA. To advance future research, first, it reveals what is special about THs in SSA and how they are related to existing concepts. I particularly argue that they contour a fourth-wave model of incubation. Second, four main categories are unfolded to delineate THs in SSA which is the cornerstone for future research.
Purpose – This paper aims to determine the affecting factors of the brand authenticity of startups in social media.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative method based on a grounded theory approach, this research specifies and classifies the affecting factors of brand authenticity of startups in social media through in-depth semi-structured interviews.
Findings – Multiple factors affecting the brand authenticity of startups in social media are determined and categorized as indexical, iconic and existential cues through this research. Connection to heritage and having credible support are determined as indexical cues. Founder intellectuality, brand intellectuality, commitment toward customers and proactive clear and interesting communications are identified as iconic cues. Having self-confidence and self-satisfaction, having intimacy with the brand and a joyful feeling for interactions with the community around the brand are determined as existential cues in this research. This research furthers previous arguments on a multiplicity of brand authenticity by shedding light on the relationship between the different aspects of authenticity and the form that different affecting factors can be organized together. Consumers eventually evaluate a strengthened perception of brand authenticity through existential cues that reflect the cues of other aspects (iconic and indexical) which passed through the goal-based assessment and self-authentication filter.
Research limitations/implications – The research sampling population can be more diversified in terms of sociodemographic attributes. Due to the qualitative methodology of this research, assessment of the findings through quantitative methods can be considered in future research. Practical implications – Using the findings of this research, startup managers can properly build a perception of authenticity in their consumers’ minds by using alternate factors while lacking major indexical cues such as heritage. This research helps startup businesses to design their brand communications better to convey their authenticity to their audiences.
Originality/value – This research determines the factors affecting the authenticity of startup brands in social media. It also defines the process of authenticity perception through different aspects of brand authenticity.
Human Digital Twin
(2022)
Man stelle sich vor, man könnte mit Unterstützung von künstlicher Intelligenz Spielabläufe von Bundesligaspielen oder sogar ganze WM-Partien simulieren. Oder der Trainer würde die Mannschaft im Endspiel anhand von Daten über den Gegner aufstellen und entsprechend psychologisch und physiologisch verschiedene Spielertypen auf den Platz schicken (vgl. Jahn). Ist das reine Fiktion? Nicht wirklich. Bereits heute werden die Leistungen von Sportlern immer häufiger digital analysiert und bewertet. Beispielsweise hat SAP eine Plattform entwickelt, die ein digitales Datenbild von Fußballspielern erstellt (vgl. SAP). Bei der letzten WM erhielt jeder Spieler über die neue Fifa Player App kurz nach der Begegnung präzise Statistiken zu seinen Leistungen während des Spiels (vgl. FIFA). Noch bessere Informationen sollen in Zukunft virtuelle Abbilder der Fußballspieler, digitale Zwillinge, liefern. Die dafür notwendigen Daten werden mithilfe von Sensoren im Trikot, in den Schuhen oder im Ball gewonnen. Durch erfassten Bewegungs- und Positionsdaten sowie Ballkontakten entsteht ein präzises Datenbild des Spielers. Solche Simulationen, die auf einem Modell des Menschen in der digitalen Welt beruhen, erfahren derzeit große Aufmerksamkeit in Wissenschaft und Praxis (vgl. van der Valk et al.). Nicht nur in der Fußballwelt, auch in der Medizin und im Kontext von Industrie 4.0 und Produktdesign, haben digitale menschliche Zwillinge das Potenzial, zu einer Schlüsseltechnologie zu werden.
Digitalization and enterprise architecture management: a perspective on benefits and challenges
(2023)
Many companies digitally transform their business models, processes, and services. They have also been using Enterprise Architecture Management approaches for a long time to synchronize corporate strategy and information technology. Such digitalization projects bring different challenges for Enterprise Architecture Management. Without understanding and addressing them, Enterprise Architecture Management projects will fail or not deliver the expected value. Since existing research has not yet addressed these challenges, they were investigated based on a qualitative expert study with leading industry experts from Europe. Furthermore, potential benefits of digitalization projects for Enterprise Architecture Management were researched. Our results provide a theoretical framework consisting of five identified challenges, triggers and a number of benefits. Furthermore, we discuss in what ways digitalization and EAM is a promising topic for future research.
Do Chinese subordinates trust their German supervisors? A model of inter-cultural trust development
(2023)
In this qualitative study based on 95 interviews with Chinese subordinates and their German supervisors, we inductively develop a model which advances theoretical understanding by showing how inter-cultural trust development in hierarchical relationships is the result of six distinct elements: the subordinate trustor’s cultural profile (cosmopolitans, hybrids, culturally bounds), the psychological mechanisms operating within the trustor (role expectations and cultural accommodation), and contextual moderators (e.g., country context, time spent in foreign culture, and third-party influencers), which together influence the trust forms (e.g., presumptive trust, relational trust) and trust dynamics (e.g., trust breakdown and repair) within relationship phases over time (initial contact, trust continuation, trust disillusionment, separation, and acculturation). Our findings challenge the assumption that cultural differences result in low levels of initial trust and highlight the strong role the subordinate’s cultural profile can have on the dynamics and trajectory of trust in hierarchical relationships. Our model highlights that inter-cultural trust development operates as a variform universal, following the combined universalistic-particularistic paradigm in cross-cultural management, with both culturally generalizable etic dynamics, as well as culturally specific etic manifestations.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has reinforced China’s business engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While previous international business research focused on the internationalization and investments of Chinese companies, this viewpoint uncovers how both local African and international non-Chinese Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) may benefit from and participate in the BRI. A focus is laid on the infrastructure sector accounting for the highest investments since the inception of the BRI in 2013. In a conceptual way, the motives of SMEs to participate in infrastructure project business in the context of the BRI are explored. Investigating the challenges of two large transport infrastructure projects, the business potentials for SMEs become visible. It is argued that SMEs find business potentials particularly as investors, sub-contractors and project management experts in the BRI in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Why are organizations and markets slow to transform toward sustainability despite the abundant well-recognized opportunities it provides? An important subset of the phenomena this question addresses involves decision-makers recognizing the existence of opportunities but failing to undertake ambitious, effective, sufficient, or timely action. Building on existing research on capability traps, market formation, and managing sustainability, we focus on the forces con-straining organizations from developing the capabilities and market infrastructures required for sustainability transformations. We characterize types of sustainability initiatives and, using causal loop diagramming, visualize structures that enable and constrain how organizations can navigate individually and collectively worse-before-better dynamics resulting from uncertain,nonlinear, and delayed returns. Being under day-to-day pressures and deeply intertwined within their environment, organizational actors find it difficult to recognize, undertake, maintain, and coordinate necessary efforts internally and externally. We discuss research implications and directions for future research on avoiding these traps and accelerating sustainability transformations.
Context
In a world of high dynamics and uncertainties, it is almost impossible to have a long-term prediction of which products, services, or features will satisfy the needs of the customer. To counter this situation, the conduction of Continuous Improvement or Design Thinking for product discovery are common approaches. A major constraint in conducting product discovery activities is the high effort to discover and validate features and requirements. In addition, companies struggle to integrate product discovery activities into their agile processes and iterations.
Objective
This paper aims at suggests a supportive tool, the “Discovery Effort Worthiness (DEW) Index”, for product owners and agile teams to determine a suitable amount of effort that should be spent on Design Thinking activities. To operationalize DEW, proposals for practitioners are presented that can be used to integrate product discovery into product development and delivery.
Method
A case study was conducted for the development of the DEW index. In addition, we conducted an expert workshop to develop proposals for the integration of product discovery activities into the product development and delivery process.
Results
First, we present the "Discovery Effort Worthiness Index" in form of a formula. Second, we identified requirements that must be fulfilled for systematic integration of product discovery activities into product development and delivery. Third, we derived from the requirements proposals for the integration of product discovery activities with a company's product development and delivery.
Conclusion
The developed "Discovery Effort Worthiness Index" provides a tool for companies and their product owners to determine how much effort they should spend on Design Thinking methods to discover and validate requirements. Integrating product discovery with product development and delivery should ensure that the results of product discovery are incorporated into product development. This aims to systematically analyze product risks to increase the chance of product success.
Projektbasiertes Lernen (PBL) ist eine ideale Methode, um Studierenden an Hochschulen praktische Projektmanagement-Kompetenzen zu vermitteln. Selbst anspruchsvolle Projekte werden hierdurch möglich. Jedoch ist die Balance zwischen den angestrebten Lernzielen und der praktischen Projektdurchführung in der Hochschulpraxis herausfordernd. Mit Hilfe des ‚PBL-Gold Standards‘ lassen sich PBL-Projekte zielgerichtet entwerfen und auf Effektivität hinsichtlich der Lernziele überprüfen. Am Beispiel des Projekts ‚IP Plane‘ der Hochschule Reutlingen, dem Bau eines Motorflugzeugs durch Studierende, wird die praktische Umsetzung eines PBL-Projektes demonstriert.
Determinants of customer recovery in retail banking — lessons from a German banking case study
(2023)
Due to the increased willingness of retail banking customers to switch and churn their banking relationships, a question arises: Is it possible to win back lost customers, and if so, is such a possibility even desirable after all economic factors have been considered? To answer these questions, this paper examines selected determinants for the recovery of terminated customer–bank relationships from the perspective of former customers. This study therefore evaluates for the first time, empirically and systematically with reference to a German Sparkasse as a case-study setting, whether lost customers have a sufficient general willingness to return (GWR) a retail banking relationship. From our results, a correlation is shown between the GWR a banking relationship and some specific determinants: seeking variety, attractiveness of alternatives and customer satisfaction with the former business relationship. In addition, we show that a customer’s GWR varies depending on the reason for churn and is surprisingly greater when the customer defected for reasons that lie within the scope of the customer himself. Despite the case-study character, however, our results provide relevant insights for other banks and, in particular, this applies to countries with a comparable banking system.
AbstractThrough their procyclical behavior, loan loss provisions have been determined as one of the factors that contribute to financial instability during a crisis. IFRS 9 was introduced in 2018 with an expected credit loss model replacing the incurred loss model of IAS 39 to mitigate the effect in the future. Our study aims to analyze loan loss provisions of major banks in the Eurozone to determine for the first time if the implementation of IFRS 9, as intended by regulators, has a dampening effect on procyclicality, especially during the stressed situation under COVID‐19. We analyze 51 banks from 12 countries of the European Monetary Union using 2856 firm‐year observations. While no robust evidence of less procyclicality can be found after the implementation of IFRS 9 until the pandemic, we find evidence that loan loss provisions moved countercyclical during 2020, indicating an alleviating effect at the beginning of the exogenous shock.
Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, wie Unternehmen die Generation Z für den Vertrieb rekrutieren können. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Flexibilität, Weiterentwicklungsmöglichkeiten, ein attraktives Grundgehalt und eine angenehme Arbeitsatmosphäre für die Generation Z entscheidende Faktoren bei der beruflichen Entscheidungsfindung sind. Darüber hinaus wird die Bedeutung der Sinnhaftigkeit der Arbeit hervorgehoben.
Global trade is plagued by slow and inefficient manual processes associated with physical documents. Firms are constantly looking for new ways to improve transparency and increase the resilience of their supply chains. This can be solved by the digitalisation of supply chains and the automation of document- and information-sharing processes. Blockchain is touted as a solution to these issues due to its unique combination of features, such as immutability, decentralisation and transparency. A lack of business cases that quantify the costs and benefits causes uncertainty regarding the truth of these claims. This paper explores how the costs and benefits of a blockchain-based solution for digitalising and automating documentation flows in cross-border supply chains compare to a conventional centralised relational database solution. The research described in this paper uses primary data collected through semi-structured interviews with industry experts, as well as secondary data from literature. Two models based on existing services were developed and the costs and benefits compared and then analysed using the Architecture Trade-off Analysis Method (ATAM) and the Analytic Network Process (ANP). Findings from the analysis show that a consortium blockchain solution like TradeLens is the favourable solution for digitalising and automating information flows in cross-border supply chains.
This article examines the risks and societal costs associated with flexible average inflation targeting in the United States and symmetric inflation targeting in the Eurozone. Employing an empirical approach, we analyze monthly cumulative inflation gaps over a monetary policy horizon of 36 months. By investigating the trajectories of the cumulative inflation gaps, we find a heavy tailed distribution and a 20 percent probability of over- and undershooting the inflation target. We exhibit that the offsetting mechanism introduced in the revised monetary strategies lack credibility in ensuring price stability during a period of persistent inflation. Consequently, the credibility of central banks may be compromised. The policy implications are the integration of an escape clause and prompt monetary corrections in cases where the inflation goal is not achieved. This study provides insights for policymakers and central banks, emphasizing challenges in maintaining credibility and price stability within the new monetary strategies.
Offshore-Windenergie wird global zunehmend intensiver ausgebaut. Auch die deutsche Bundesregierung hat die Ausbauziele auf 30 GW installierte Leistung bis 2030 erhöht, von derzeit ca. 8 GW. Wie kann die deutsche Offshore-Windenergiebranche dies erreichen und was bedeutet das für ihre Zulieferer und Dienstleister? Vier Szenarien beschreiben mögliche Zukünfte. Technischer Fortschritt entlang der gesamten Wertschöpfungskette, Lieferkettensicherheit, Regulatorik sowie Fachkräfteverfügbarkeit sind die kritischen Erfolgsfaktoren.
Es fällt in Unternehmen immer schwerer, in komplexen Zeiten zukünftige Entwicklungen zu antizipieren. Ein Umstand, der auch das Change Management prägen sollte. Dennoch ist ein methodisch fundierter Umgang mit Nicht-Wissen in der Change-Praxis kaum verbreitet. Erst seit Kurzem wird darüber nachgedacht, wie man beispielsweise das Experiment als zukunftsfähige Methode nutzbar machen kann. Ein Ansatz sind Experimentierräume als ein besonders kennzeichnendes Format einer experimentellen Organisationsentwicklung.
Der Einsatz von spielerischen Elementen gewinnt im B-to-B immer mehr an Bedeutung. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht den Einsatz von Gamification-Elementen im B-to-B-Marketing und -Vertrieb, speziell in der deutschen Baubranche. Dabei zeigt sich, dass Gamification in Richtung der Mitarbeitenden häufiger genutzt wird als in Richtung der Kundschaft. Doch auch mit Blick auf nachrückende Kunden-Generationen wächst das Potenzial von Gamification zur Lead-Generierung und zur Unterstützung der Omni-Channel-Strategie.
Purpose
In recognising the key role of business intelligence and big data analytics in influencing companies’ decision-making processes, this paper aims to codify the main phases through which companies can approach, develop and manage big data analytics.
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting a research strategy based on case studies, this paper depicts the main phases and challenges that companies “live” through in approaching big data analytics as a way to support their decision-making processes. The analysis of case studies has been chosen as the main research method because it offers the possibility for different data sources to describe a phenomenon and subsequently to develop and test theories.
Findings
This paper provides a possible depiction of the main phases and challenges through which the approach(es) to big data analytics can emerge and evolve over time with reference to companies’ decision-making processes.
Research limitations/implications
This paper recalls the attention of researchers in defining clear patterns through which technology-based approaches should be developed. In its depiction of the main phases of the development of big data analytics in companies’ decision-making processes, this paper highlights the possible domains in which to define and renovate approaches to value. The proposed conceptual model derives from the adoption of an inductive approach. Despite its validity, it is discussed and questioned through multiple case studies. In addition, its generalisability requires further discussion and analysis in the light of alternative interpretative perspectives.
Practical implications
The reflections herein offer practitioners interested in company management the possibility to develop performance measurement tools that can evaluate how each phase can contribute to companies’ value creation processes.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the ongoing debate about the role of digital technologies in influencing managerial and social models. This paper provides a conceptual model that is able to support both researchers and practitioners in understanding through which phases big data analytics can be approached and managed to enhance value processes.
Twitter and citations
(2023)
Social media, especially Twitter, plays an increasingly important role among researchers in showcasing and promoting their research. Does Twitter affect academic citations? Making use of Twitter activity about columns published on VoxEU, a renowned online platform for economists, we develop an instrumental variable strategy to show that Twitter activity about a research paper has a causal effect on the number of citations that this paper will receive. We find that the existence of at least one tweet, as opposed to none, increases citations by 16-25%. Doubling overall Twitter engagement boosts citations by up to 16%.
Die vorliegende Studie beschäftigt sich mit der Verbreitung des Customer-Success-Managements im deutschsprachigen Mittelstand und der Frage, wie eine erfolgreiche Implementierung dort durchgeführt werden kann. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass, vorgelagert zum eigentlichen Customer-Success-Management-Prozess, interne sowie externe Voraussetzungen im deutschsprachigen Mittelstand geschaffen werden müssen, um eine nachhaltige Implementierung gewährleisten zu können. Dazu zählt die Transformation vom reinen Produktfokus hin zu einer kunden- und servicezentrierten Unternehmensstrategie. Voraussetzung dafür ist die Erhöhung des Digitalisierungsgrads der Produkte und internen Prozesse sowie ein aktives Change-Management.
Towards a sustainable future, looking beyond the system boundaries of a single manufacturing company is necessary to promote meaningful collaborations in terms of circular economy principles. In this context digital data processing technologies to connect the potential collaborators are seen as enablers to make use of proven collaborative circular business models (CCBMs). Since most of such data processing technologies rely on features to describe the entities involved, it is essential to provide guidance for identifying and selecting the relevant and most appropriate ones. Defining critical success factors (CSFs) is considered a suitable instrument to describe the decisive factors. A systematic literature review (SLR), followed by a qualitative synthesis is investigating two scientific fields of work, namely (1) the general relevant features of CCBMs and, (2) methodologies for determining CSFs. This results in the development of a conceptual framework which provides guidance for digital applications that perform further digital processing based on the relevant CSFs relating to the specific CCBM.
Obwohl die Wirkungsbeziehungen im Marketing oft einen nichtlinearen und interdependenten Charakter aufweisen, beschränkt sich die Modellbildung überwiegend auf einfache mathematische Funktionen. Daher wird in diesem Anwendungskontext der Einsatz des Machine Learning ausführlicher beleuchtet, das mit Verfahren wie Künstlichen Neuronalen Netzen die Modellierung sehr komplexer Zusammenhänge ermöglicht und dadurch relevante Einsatzpotenziale für aktuelle Fragestellungen der Marketingpraxis eröffnet.
Herein, biochar from biomass residues is demonstrated as active materials for the catalytic cracking of waste motor oil into diesel-like fuels. Above all, alkali-treated rice husk biochar showed great activity with a 250% increase in the kinetic constant compared to the thermal cracking. It also showed better activity than synthetic materials, as previously reported. Moreover, much lower activation energy (185.77 to 293.48 kJ/mol) for the cracking process was also obtained. According to materials characterization, the catalytic activity was more related to the nature of the biochar’s surface than its specific surface area. Finally, liquid products complied with all the physical properties defined by international standards for diesel-like fuels, with the presence of hydrocarbons chains between C10 - C27 similar to the ones obtained in commercial diesel.
Purpose
Job advertisements are important means of communicating role expectations for management accountants to the labor market. They provide information about which roles are sought and expected. However, which roles are communicated in job advertisements is unknown so far.
Design/methodology/approach
With a text-mining approach on a large sample of 889 job ads, the authors extract information on roles, type of firm and hierarchical position of the management accountant sought.
Findings
The results indicate an apparent mix of different role types with a strong focus on a classic watchdog role. However, the business partner role is more often sought for leadership positions or in family businesses and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME).
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is the lack of an agreed-upon measurement instrument for roles in job offers. The study results imply that corporate practice is not as theory-driven as is postulated and communicated in the management accounting community. This indicates the existence of a research-practice gap and tensions between different actors in the management accounting field.
Practical implications
The results challenge the current role discussion of professional organizations for management accountants as business partners.
Originality/value
The authors contribute the first study, which explicitly analyzes the communication of roles in job offers for management accountants. It indicates a discrepancy between scholarly discussion on roles and management accountants' work from an employer's perspective.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a collection of 17 global objectives to promote economic, social and ecological development in all parts of the world. While the academic discussion on the contribution of companies to the Sustainable Development Goals has recently gained momentum, the role of business-to-business (B2B) partnerships in reaching the SDGs is underexplored, particularly when it comes to North-South relationships. With our research, we aim to fill this gap in the literature by investigating sales partnerships between German manufacturers and their distributors in African markets. Based on a qualitative analysis of 28 interviews with managers of German and African companies, we show that long-term partnerships and job creation, technology transfer, training as well as high standards are significant contributions of companies to achieve the SDGs. While several SDGs such as goals 4,6,13,16 and 17 are addressed by B2B partnership, we also discuss approaches on how the firms’ engagement could be further leveraged and expanded.
The Commitment of Traders report (CoT) has been around for over 30 years, consistently revealing the futures positions of key market players. This study's primary aim is to use the comprehensive data from the Commitment of Traders reports to develop a short-term reversal trading strategy. Against the benchmark, a S&P 500 buy-and-hold approach with a Sharpe ratio of 1.07, the CoT long only strategy generated significant results in six individual markets. Extending the strategy to long-and-short, two markets outperformed the benchmark significantly. However, a scenario analysis indicated underperformance of the CoT strategy when traded in a portfolio, confirming that the chosen strategy parameters could not generate excess Sharpe ratios. Our results indicate that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, more specifically the CoT report, contributed to efficient derivatives market.
Die vorliegende Studie beschäftigt sich mit der Verbreitung des Customer-Success-Managements im deutschsprachigen Mittelstand und der Frage, wie eine erfolgreiche Implementierung dort durchgeführt werden kann. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass, vorgelagert zum eigentlichen Customer-Success-Management-Prozess, interne sowie externe Voraussetzungen im deutschsprachigen Mittelstand geschaffen werden müssen, um eine nachhaltige Implementierung gewährleisten zu können. Dazu zählt die Transformation vom reinen Produktfokus hin zu einer kunden- und servicezentrierten Unternehmensstrategie. Voraussetzung dafür ist die Erhöhung des Digitalisierungsgrads der Produkte und internen Prozesse sowie ein aktives Change-Management.
Purpose
The authors study the valuation effect of corporate diversification in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
Applying a cross-sectional regression model to a sample of public companies headquartered in the European Union, the authors investigate the existence of and the change in a diversification discount between 2018 and 2020. By applying the Excess Q methodology, the authors make an industry adjustment of diversified companies to measure the value effect of corporate diversification.
Findings
The authors find an economically and statistically significant diversification discount that increases from an average Excess Q of −0.05 in 2019 to −0.10 in 2020. The diversified companies' inferior fundamental financial performance in 2020 accompanies the discount. The results deviate from those of previous research, which mostly show a decrease in the diversification discount in economic crises, and thereby, shed doubt on whether diversification provides insurance against pandemic-induced adverse value effects.
Originality/valueThe study distinguishes the role of corporate diversification during recessionary periods by establishing that the valuation effect of diversification depends on the nature of the crisis. The analysis incorporates criticism of previous studies concerning a biased methodology and uniform data source by applying the Excess Q methodology and using FactSet industry segment data.
Academic research is vital for innovation and industrial growth. However, a potential burden of processing ever more knowledge could be affecting research output and researchers’ careers. We look at a dataset of researchers who have published in journals in the field of economics during a period of 45 years. For a subset of these researchers, we amass data from journals listed in the EconLit database, supplemented with years of birth from public sources. Our results show an increase in the age of researchers at their first publication, in the number of articles referenced in debut articles, and in the number of co-authors. Simultaneously, we observe a decline in the probability of researchers changing research fields. Our findings extend earlier findings on patents and hint at a burden of knowledge pervading different areas of human progress. Moreover, our results indicate that researchers develop strategies of specialisation to deal with this challenge.
Die Lohnlücke zwischen Frauen und Männern (der sogenannte Gender Pay Gap) wird üblicherweise in Bevölkerungsgruppen untersucht, die ihre Bildungslaufbahn bereits abgeschlossen haben. In diesem Beitrag betrachten wir eine frühere Phase der Berufstätigkeit, indem wir den Gender Pay Gap unter Studierenden, die neben ihrem Studium arbeiten, analysieren. Anhand von Daten aus fünf Kohorten einer Studierendenbefragung in Deutschland beschreiben wir den Gender Pay Gap und diskutieren mögliche Erklärungen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Studentinnen im Durchschnitt etwa 6% weniger verdienen als Studenten. Nach Berücksichtigung verschiedener entlohnungsrelevanter Faktoren verringert sich die Lücke auf 4,1%. Einer der Hauptgründe für die Differenz in der Entlohnung sind die unterschiedlichen Beschäftigungen, die männliche und weibliche Studierende ausüben.
Being exposed to compulsory religious education in school can have long-run consequences for students’ lives. At different points in time since the 1970s, German states terminated compulsory religious education in public schools and replaced it by a choice between ethics classes and religious education. This article shows that the reform not only led to reduced religiosity in students’ later life, but also eroded traditional attitudes towards gender roles and increased labor-market participation and earnings.
Gender pay gaps are commonly studied in populations with already completed educational careers. We focus on an earlier stage by investigating the gender pay gap among university students working alongside their studies. With data from five cohorts of a large-scale student survey from Germany, we use regression and wage decomposition techniques to describe gender pay gaps and potential explanations. We find that female students earn about 6% less on average than male students, which reduces to 4.1% when accounting for a rich set of explanatory variables. The largest explanatory factor is the type of jobs male and female students pursue.
User innovators follow multiple diffusion and adoption pathways for their self-developed innovations. Users may choose to commercialize their self-developed products on the marketplace by becoming entrepreneurs. Few studies exist that focus on understanding personal and interpersonal factors that affect some user innovators’ entrepreneurial decision-making. Hence, this paper focuses on how user innovators make key decisions relating to opportunity recognition and evaluation and when opportunity evaluation leads to subsequent entrepreneurial action in the entrepreneurial process. We conducted an exploratory study using a multi-grounded theory methodology as the user entrepreneurship phenomenon embodies complex social processes. We collected data through the netnography approach that targeted 18 entrepreneurs with potentially relevant differences through crowdfunding platforms. We integrated self-determination, human capital, and social capital theory to address the phenomena under study. This study’s significant findings posit that users’ motives are dissatisfaction with existing goods, interest in innovation, altruism, social recognition, desire for independence, and economic benefits. Besides, use-related experience, product-related knowledge, product diffusion, and iterative feedback positively impact innovative users’ entrepreneurial decision-making.
Moral change and the purchase-sales-relationship: critical analysis of German and Swiss companies
(2022)
This study examines the awareness and causes of moral change from the economic perspective in Germany and Switzerland. Based on an analysis of value research to date and interviews with experts in B2B sales, the manifestations of moral change are critically examined and recommendations for action are derived on an employee-specific and company-wide level.
For some time now, eSports has complemented the portfolio of many sponsors in sports. Though partnerships with important organizations, brands are gaining a foothold in the eSports landscape. While the communication work with media and fans in the framework of conventional sports has been tried and tested for many years, Public Relations (PR) in eSports is new for companies. The paper examines the requirements of PR in eSports. These are identified by analyzing a quantitative survey among eSports fans. The results prove the existance of significant differences in the requirements of successful PR in eSports. The differences are mainly based on the different target groups and their media usage behavoir. Classic formats such as TV or print are ignored by eSport fans. This influences the choice of media partners for sponsors. Successful PR in eSports requires patience and long-term planning. It is important to maintain a close exchange with partners in order to jointly design attractive formats for media and their consumers.
Personality matters! So lässt sich die Forschung zu Persönlichkeit und Berufserfolg des letzten Jahrhunderts zusammenfassen. Beruflicher Erfolg hängt nicht nur von den kognitiven Fähigkeiten ab, wie beispielsweise der allgemeinen Intelligenz, sondern auch von der Persönlichkeit. Das werden Führungskräfte sicher bestätigen können. Was aber macht eine Persönlichkeit aus, die beruflich sehr leistungsfähig ist? Wie wirken sich verschiedene Persönlichkeitsmerkmale darauf aus, wie gut man mit beruflichen Anforderungen zurechtkommt? Und welche Persönlichkeitsprofile eignen sich für welche Tätigkeitsfelder?
Mit diesen Fragen beschäftigt sich die Organisations- und Arbeitspsychologie seit vielen Jahren. Gewissenhaftigkeit (Conscientiousness) hat sie als einen besonders wichtigen Faktor für die berufliche Leistungsfähigkeit identifiziert. In einer Metastudie fassen Michael Wilmot und Deniz Ones die Erkenntnisse zur Gewissenhaftigkeit aus 100 Jahren Forschung zusammen – und erfassen dabei 2.500 primäre Studien mit über 1,1 Millionen befragten Personen.
Wollen Unternehmen sozial und ökologisch nachhaltiger werden, beginnt es meistens mit Ankündigungen: Wir werden mehr Mitarbeiter dazu bewegen, mit dem Fahrrad zu kommen! Wir schaffen die Currywurst in der Kantine ab! Wir werden benachteilige Jugendliche stärker fördern! Solche Ankündigungen werden in der Forschung zu Environment, Social und Governance (ESG) als „Aspirational Talk“ bezeichnet. Sie zeigen den Anspruch eines Unternehmens auf: „Wir erkennen die Herausforderungen an und wollen sie meistern.“ Den Ankündigungen sollten dann freilich Taten folgen. Was aber passiert, wenn die Mitarbeiter zwischen dem, was angekündigt wurde, und dem, was gemacht wird, eine Lücke wahrnehmen?
Nachhaltigkeit, Digitalisierung und New Work – es gibt viele Anlässe für Organisationen, Neues zu erlernen. In der Forschung wird seit den 80er-Jahren dabei anerkannt, dass organisationales Lernen neben dem Aufbau neuen Wissens auch Verlernen bedeutet. Dabei geht es weniger darum, dass Kenntnisse schlicht überflüssig werden. Stellt eine Organisation beispielsweise auf Glasfasertechnologie um, so wird das Wissen, wie man Kupferkabel anschließt, nicht mehr benötigt und irgendwann verschwinden. Beim organisationalen Verlernen geht es eher um Glaubenssätze, Annahmen und Routinen, die das Erlernen neuen Wissens behindern. So kann die (veraltete) Annahme, Kupferkabel seien weiterhin eine brauchbare Technologie, Unternehmen daran hindern, die Glasfasertechnologie voranzutreiben und einzuführen.
Die Debatte über die Zukunft der Europäischen Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion ist seit geraumer Zeit omnipräsent (Herzog und Hengstermann 2013). Mit der temporären Aussetzung der europäischen (nationalen) Schuldenregeln bis zum 31. Dezember 2022 ging abermals eine leidenschaftlich geführte Post-Covid-19-Reformdiskussion los. Zu den bisherigen Veränderungsnotwendigkeiten kommen nunmehr die geopolitischen Herausforderungen hinzu. Ist die Stabilität der Währungsunion in Gefahr?
Die Macht von Topmanagerinnen und Topmanagern ist in Verruf geraten. Je mächtiger die CEOs sind, desto eher neigen sie dazu, ihren eigenen Interessen zu folgen, sich unethisch zu verhalten und sich selbst zu überschätzen – zulasten des Unternehmenserfolgs. So zumindest die verbreitete Annahme, die von zahlreichen empirischen Studien und vielen Beispielen in den Medien gestützt wird. Aber stimmt sie auch?
Ivana Vitanova untersucht in ihrer Studie, inwieweit die Macht von CEOs mit deren Selbstüberschätzung zusammenhängt und wie dies den Erfolg des Unternehmens beeinflusst. Sie zeichnet dabei ein anderes Bild: CEOs, die mehr Macht haben, neigen zwar tatsächlich zu einer höheren Selbstüberschätzung. Allerdings kann dies dazu führen, dass das Unternehmen überdurchschnittlich erfolgreich ist. Weil solche Führungskräfte stärker an sich glauben, wichtige Entscheidungen mutig treffen und andere besser motivieren können. Aber der Reihe nach: Wie sind die Zusammenhänge und was für Konsequenzen ergeben sich daraus?
„Bürgerrechtler klagen gegen Weitergabe von Gesundheitsdaten“ – so titelt (spiegel.de, 2022) am 29.04.2022. Dabei geht es um die Weitergabe pseudonymisierter Daten von 73 Millionen Versicherten durch die gesetzlichen Krankenkassen. Diese Daten sollen der Forschung zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Die Kläger bezweifeln, dass die Daten nicht deanonymisiert werden können. Dieses aktuelle Beispiel zeigt einen konkreten und relevanten Anwendungsfall des Themas Anonymisierung/Pseudonymisierung im aktuariellen Kontext auf. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass die Relevanz in den kommenden Jahren weiter zunehmen wird.
Spätestens seit dem Inkrafttreten der DSGVO ist das Thema Datenschutz allgegenwärtig und stellt uns Aktuare vor große Herausforderungen. Europäische Initiativen zur Schaffung eines Binnenmarktes für Daten sollen zwar die Möglichkeit schaffen, Daten einfacher zu teilen und so beispielsweise Dritten für Forschungszwecke zur Verfügung zu stellen, werfen aber auch viele Fragestellungen auf. Eine naheliegende Lösung ist es, Daten zu anonymisieren oder zu pseudonymisieren. Aber was bedeutet das konkret und welche Konsequenzen ergeben sich daraus? Bis zu welchem Grad müssen Daten anonymisiert werden und welche ReIdentifikationsrisiken bestehen weiterhin?
Addressing the high complexity of brand image measurement, the present research paper investigates the use of artificial neural networks in this particular application context. Since profound insights into the image of a brand are essential for management, the deployment of this learning algorithm is considered as it allows modeling of complex non-linear and multilayered relationships. The conceptual approach presented in the paper is illustrated with the empirical example of the sportswear manufacturer adidas. By using quantitative survey data, a multilayer artificial neural network is created to link the evaluations of specific brand attributes with the overall evaluation of the brand. Based on an analysis of the connection weights between neurons of the artificial neural network, the importance of different brand attributes for the brand evaluation is quantified. This results in concrete implications for brand management practice and potential for further investigations on the use of artificial intelligence in marketing analytics.
In contrast to classical advertising, event marketing is a dynamic communication instrument that is constantly bringing trends and innovations. The diverse application possibilities and potentials of event marketing make it possible to reach relevant target groups according to the current zeitgeist, to generate brand-relevant realities and worlds of experience, to generate emotions and sympathy values and in this way to create a bond between brand or company and recipients. Enduring brand experience worlds can be seen as a consistent further development of event marketing. Unlike typical branding events, which are limited in time, enduring brand experience worlds create theme worlds that can be experienced, usually for an unlimited period of time. The research paper reflects the development and current state of brand experience worlds. On this basis a systematisation of enduring brand experience worlds is presented and discussed.
Similarities and differences of the various types of enduring brand experience worlds are elaborated and critically appraised.
Der Career Booster
(2022)
Das berufsbegleitende International MBA Program der ESB Business School in Reutlingen hat einen sehr guten Ruf. Der Schwerpunkt liegt neben Strategie und Business Development auf Digitalisierung, Marketing, Leadership und Nachhaltigkeit. Es wird immer wieder den Anforderungen der Wirtschaft angepasst, meint Studiendekan Prof. Gerd Nufer.
As consumer awareness surrounding impacts of the climate crisis continues to be a notable threat, businesses are searching for new models to make their sustainability profile even better. As a result, the implementation of a company’s sustainability vision following the SDGs has to be linked closely to the integration of customers into strategic action. One success factor is the management of customers over their entire life cycle. The Customer Journey serves as a model to systematise this approach, by designing touchpoints throughout the purchasing process in order to motivate consumers to act sustainably. Based on behaviour models, the authors develop recommendations for the food industry to design a sustainable Customer Journey that helps to reduce the percentage of consumers reporting positive attitudes to sustainable products while not exhibiting corresponding behaviour.
This article illustrates a method for sensorless control of a switched reluctance motor. The detection of the time instants for switching between the working phases is determined based on the evaluation of the switching frequency of the hysteresis current controllers for appropriately selected sensing phases. This enables a simple and cost efficient implementation. The method is compared with a pulse injection method in terms of efficiency and resolution.
Als Google vor einigen Jahren begann, seine riesigen Personaldatenbestände auszuwerten, um herauszufinden, welche Eigenschaften gute Führungskräfte ausmachen, betrat es Neuland. Die Ergebnisse legten nahe, die Daten auch für andere personalwirtschaftliche Fragen zu nutzen (vgl. Garvin).
Inzwischen beschäftigen sich nicht nur Technologie-unternehmen wie Google mit Verfahren, die unter dem Schlagwort People Analytics (auch HR Analytics oder Workforce Analytics) intensiv diskutiert und erforscht werden. Dabei werden die umfangreichen Bestände an mitarbeiterbezogenen Daten, die bei der Rekrutierung, bei Mitarbeiterumfragen oder Leistungsbeurteilungen anfallen, systematisch analysiert und für Prognosen genutzt (vgl. Marler/Boudreau, S. 15). Dem liegt die Annahme zugrunde, dass Personalentscheidungen verbessert werden, wenn sie nicht nur auf Intuition und Erfahrung beruhen, sondern zudem auf einem soliden Datenfundament.
Omnichannel retailing and sustainability are two important challenges for the fast fashion industry. However, the sustainable behavior of fast fashion consumers in an omnichannel environment has not received much attention from researchers. This paper aims to examine the factors that determine consumers’ willingness to participate in fast fashion brands’ used clothes recycling plans in an omnichannel retail environment. In particular, we examine the impact of individual consumer characteristics (environmental attitudes, consumer satisfaction), organizational arrangements constitutive for omnichannel retailing (channel integration), and their interplay (brand identification, impulsive consumption). A conceptual model was developed based on findings from previous research and tested on data that were collected online from Chinese fast fashion consumers. Findings suggest that consumers’ intentions for clothes recycling are mainly determined by individual factors, such as environmental attitudes and consumer satisfaction. Organizational arrangements (perceived channel integration) showed smaller effects. This study contributes to the literature on omnichannel (clothing) retail, as well as on sustainability in the clothing industry, by elucidating individual and organizational determinants of consumers’ recycling intentions for used clothes in an omnichannel environment. It helps retailers to organize used clothes recycling plans in an omnichannel environment and to motivate consumers to participate in them.
F&E-Bereiche nur kostenorientiert zu steuern, wird der immensen Bedeutung von Innovationserfolgen für die Zukunft von Unternehmen nicht gerecht. Ein agiles Innovationsmanagement benötigt ein solides F&E-Performance-Managementsystem als Basis. Entscheidend ist neben der Wahl "richtiger" Methoden und Kennzahlen die Wahrnehmung der Business-Partnerrolle durch die Controller. In diesem Beitrag wird das Innovation Performance Management beispielhaft für WMF konkretisiert.
Gewinn, Profitabilität und Wachstum eines Unternehmens sind untrennbar mit dem Arbeitseinsatz und der Mitarbeiterperformance verbunden (Birri, 2014; Bligh et al., 2006). Arbeitseinsatz und Performance wiederum erwachsen maßgeblich aus den grundlegenden intrinsischen und extrinsischen Motivationstreibern. Also müssen Unternehmen zur Sicherung ihres Erfolgs mit geeigneten Werkzeugen gezielt auf diese Treiber einwirken. Ein zentrales Werkzeug hierfür sind die Vergütungssysteme der Unternehmen.
Debiasing als Managementtool
(2021)
Unternehmen existieren dadurch, dass sie eine Entscheidung auf die andere folgen lassen: Sollen wir hier investieren oder lieber dort? Sollte diese Mitarbeiterin auf die Führungsstelle befördert werden oder jener Mitarbeiter? Und welcher Preis ist für die neue Dienstleistung angemessen? Ob es einem Unternehmen gut geht, hängt daher mit der Qualität der zahlreichen Entscheidungen zusammen: Entscheiden Unternehmen immer wieder klüger als die Konkurrenz, werden sie sich im Wettbewerb behaupten können.
The implementation of human resource (HR) policies often proves troublesome due to the appearance, and stubborn persistence, of gaps in the process. Human resource management (HRM) scholars problematise these gaps and advocate tight implementation to reduce gaps and to ensure the desired impact of policies on organisational performance. Drawing on organisational institutionalism, we contend that gaps in implementing HR policies can actually be productive, as they secure organisational legitimacy, and thus enable organisations to operate viably within several institutional environments. We suggest that different approaches to implementation are needed, some of them premised on accepting sustained implementation gaps. We introduce minimum and moderate implementation approaches, rooted in the notion of decoupling, to complement approaches aimed at tight implementation. Our aim is to support the further development of research based on a richer interpretation of HRM implementation challenges and choices they present for HR managers.
Enterprise architecture (EA) is useful for promoting digital transformation in global companies and information societies. In this paper, the authors investigated and analyzed the process for digital transformation in global companies, together with related work in using and applying an enterprise architecture framework for the digital era named the adaptive integrated digital architecture framework (AIDAF). Moreover, they position the AIDAF framework for processing digital transformation in global companies. Based on this analysis, the authors propose and describe a new enterprise architecture process for promoting digital transformation in global companies. Furthermore, the authors propose an adaptive EA cycle-based architecture board framework on digital platforms, while verifying them with case studies in global companies. Finally, the authors clarify the challenges and critical success factors of the process and framework for digital transformation with architecture board reviews in the adaptive EA cycle to assist EA practitioners with its implementation.
It has always been interesting for scientists to look at economic indicators in order to explain current economic developments and to forecast a boom or a recession. In addition to classic, hard economic indicators such as the Gross National Product or the Ifo index, there are also a number of psychological and soft indicators that economists consult. The lipstick effect is one of these psychological indicators. The paper introduces the lipstick effect, explains the causes behind the phenomenon, shows the connection to brand management and provides references to the current Corona pandemic.
This article studies the effects of reverse factoring in a supply chain when the buyer company facilitates its lower short-term borrowing rates to the supplier corporation in return for extended payment terms. We explore the role of interest rate changes, rating changes, and the business cycle position on the cost and benefit trade-off from a supplier perspective. We utilize a combined empirical approach consisting of an event study in Step 1 and a simulation model in Step 2. The event study identifies the quantitative magnitude of central bank decisions and rating changes on the interest rate differential. The simulation computes with a rolling-window methodology the daily cost and benefits of reverse factoring from 2010 to 2018 under the assumption of the efficient market hypothesis. Our major finding is that changes of crucial financial variables such as interest rates, ratings, or news alerts will turn former win-win into win-lose situations for the supplier contingent to the business cycle. Overall, our results exhibit sophisticated trade-offs under reverse factoring and consequently require a careful evaluation in managerial decisions.
Kontrolle bei New Collaboration Work: Über die Fantasien von Purpose, Wachstum und Zugehörigkeit
(2021)
Derzeit geht es in vielen Unternehmen darum, Zusammenarbeit zukunftsfähig zu gestalten: Hierarchien werden flacher, Teams stärker selbstorganisiert, und Prozesse wie agile Frameworks regeln die Abläufe.
Was aber passiert in solchen kollaborativen Arbeitskontexten, wenn es um Kontrolle geht? In hierarchischen Organisationen ist das Thema vergleichsweise einfach zu greifen: Führungskräfte kontrollieren Arbeitsprozesse über Arbeitsteilung und -zuweisung, über disziplinarische Hoheit und motivierendes Führungsverhalten (Mitarbeitergespräche, Kritik, Lob).
Die leistungsfähigen Verfahren des maschinellen Lernens halten unaufhaltsam Einzug in die verschiedensten Anwendungsbereiche im Finanzsektor. Während sie von einer großen Gemeinschaft von Forschern und Anwendern laufend weiterentwickelt werden, nimmt sich auch die Bankenaufsicht dieses Themas aktiv an und bezieht in Richtlinien und Diskussionspapieren Stellung.
In this paper, we examine the political gridlock in reforming the Economic and Monetary Union. We utilize a two–stage game with imperfect information in order to study the optimal sequencing. The main results are: first, optimal sequencing requires for incompliant Member States a default option in stage–two, which in principle is related to the today's fiscal architecture (EMU-I). Second, we show that compliant countries prefer a reform equilibrium today if and only if they have a free choice about the preferred fiscal architecture at the end — either EMU-II with binding European coordination or EMU-I related to Maastricht. Noteworthy, our sequencing approach works for any design of the EMU-II architecture.
Das Weltwirtschaftswachstum der vergangenen Jahrzehnte war durch die Dynamik der Digitalisierung und Globalisierung in den Lieferketten geprägt. Die Corona-Pandemie hat die Abhängigkeit und Verletzlichkeit der Lieferketten offengelegt. Trotz einer Vielzahl verbindlicher Standards haben Unternehmen die Digitalisierung und Arbeitsteilung auch für regulatorische Arbitrage genutzt. Einerseits erhöht das die Effizienz der Wirtschaft - was mithin ökologische Ressourcen schont - andererseits werden damit internationale Standards konterkariert. Globalisierung und Digitalisierung sind Segen und Fluch zugleich.
Bausparverträge sind kombinierte Spar- und Finanzierungsinstrumente, die für die breite Bevölkerung ausgelegt sind. Im Jahr 2020 umfasste der Bestand an Bausparverträgen in Deutschland ca. 25 Mio. Verträge. Ein wesentlicher Teil der Attraktivität des Bausparvertrags für Kunden liegt in der hohen Flexibilität dieser Finanzprodukte, die im Vertragsablauf eine flexible Anpassung an individuelle Finanzierungsbedingungen ermöglicht. In der Sparphase sind das insbesondere Möglichkeiten zur Erhöhung, Ermäßigung und Teilung der Verträge sowie zur relativ flexiblen Anpassung der Sparrate. Bei einem zuteilungsreifen Vertrag kann die Sparphase innerhalb bestimmter zeitlicher Grenzen fortgesetzt werden. In der Darlehensphase sind flexible Sondertilgungen jederzeit und ohne Vorfälligkeitsentschädigung möglich.
Die Vielzahl eingebetteter Optionen beeinflussen sich wechselseitig und müssen in ihrer Wirkungsweise immer gesamthaft betrachtet und gesteuert werden. Die empirische Erfahrung der letzten Jahrzehnte zeigt bezüglich der Optionsausübung ein Kundenverhalten, das sich zwar an finanzmathematischen Überlegungen orientiert, aber nicht vollständig finanzrational abläuft.
Guerrilla marketing is the selection of atypical and non-dogmatic marketing activities that aim to achieve the greatest possible impact – in the ideal case with a comparable minimum investment. Guerrilla marketing has developed into a basic strategy overarching the marketing mix, a basic marketing policy attitude for market development that goes off the beaten track to consciously seek new, unconventional, previously disregarded, possibly even frown-upon possibilities for the deployment of tools. Digital marketing tools such as social media provide new ways and promising opportunities for innovative guerrilla marketing. This article provides an overview of innovative digital guerrilla marketing. It describes and structures guerrilla marketing in a novel form and shows illustrating examples as well as developmental trends.
Bio-Gütesiegel im B-to-B-Marketing – Teil 2/2: Bio ist bereits seit Langem kein Nischenprodukt mehr. Deutschland hat europaweit nicht nur den höchsten Verbrauch, sondern gleichzeitig auch den höchsten Umsatz an Bio-Produkten. Etwa jeder Vierte kauft hierzulande regelmäßig Bio-Lebensmittel. Damit haben es ökologische Produkte bereits jetzt in beinahe jeden deutschen Haushalt geschafft. Basierend auf der Relevanz von ökologischen Produkten im Markt, ergibt sich ein gesteigerter Fokus auf die Beziehungen zwischen Lebensmittelherstellern und Lebensmittelhändlern, der in den letzten Jahren angezogen ist. Unternehmerische Anforderungen konzentrieren sich daher mehr als je zuvor neben dem üblichen B-to-C-Marketing auf das B-to-B-Marketing. Mit den neuen Marktherausforderungen steigen somit die Erwartungen an die Marketingleistungen im B-to-B-Bereich.
Bio-Gütesiegel im B-to-B-Marketing – Teil 1/2: Bio ist bereits seit Langem kein Nischenprodukt mehr. Deutschland hat europaweit nicht nur den höchsten Verbrauch, sondern gleichzeitig auch den höchsten Umsatz an Bio-Produkten. Etwa jeder Vierte kauft hierzulande regelmäßig Bio-Lebensmittel. Damit haben es ökologische Produkte bereits jetzt in beinahe jeden deutschen Haushalt geschafft. Basierend auf der Relevanz von ökologischen Produkten im Markt, ergibt sich ein gesteigerter Fokus auf die Beziehungen zwischen Lebensmittelherstellern und Lebensmittelhändlern, der in den letzten Jahren angezogen ist. Unternehmerische Anforderungen konzentrieren sich daher mehr als je zuvor neben dem üblichen B-to-C-Marketing auf das B-to-B-Marketing. Mit den neuen Marktherausforderungen steigen somit die Erwartungen an die Marketingleistungen im B-to-B-Bereich.
Beyond Selling orientiert sich am komplexen, vornehmlich mittelständisch geprägten Multi-Kanal-Vertrieb. Beyond Selling hat den Anspruch, holistisch zu agieren und will aufzeigen, dass neben vielen bewährten Konzepten bestimmte Aspekte für die erfolgreiche Unternehmensführung zukünftig zunehmend wichtiger werden. So bleiben bspw. eine stringente Buying-Center-Analyse und auch eine treffsichere Formulierung des kundennutzenorientierten Leistungsversprechens im Rahmen des Value-Based-Selling-Konzeptes unabdingbar. Allerdings gilt es auch, den Fokus auf Themen zu legen, die zukünftig deutlich an Bedeutung gewinnen werden
Initial Coin Offering (ICO) und damit verbundene Token spielen bei der Unternehmensfinanzierung eine immer bedeutsamere Rolle. Dies gilt insbesondere im Fall von Start-ups, deren Geschäftsmodell auf der Blockchain-Technologie basiert. Dieser Beitrag stellt die verschiedenen Tokenvarianten im Rahmen eines ICO vor und gibt einen Überblick über den aktuellen rechtlichen Hintergrund.
Durch Design Thinking lassen sich radikale Innovationen schaffen. Es findet jedoch immer in einer bestimmten Unternehmenskultur statt, die wiederum in eine nationale Kultur eingebettet ist. Das hat Auswirkungen auf die Implementierung, da dieses Umfeld förderlich oder hinderlich sein kann. Umgekehrt kann die Unternehmenskultur vom Design Thinking beeinflusst werden.
In Deutschland gilt für Abschlussprüfer von Unternehmen des öffentlichen Interesses eine um sogenannte Key Audit Matters erweiterte Berichtspflicht im Bestätigungsvermerk, und zwar bei der Prüfung von Abschlüssen von Geschäftsjahren, die nach dem 16.06.2016 beginnen. Die vorliegende Untersuchung beschäftigt sich mit den Einflussfaktoren für die Anzahl an Key Audit Matters und fokussiert sich dabei auf die Berichtspraxis im Zeitverlauf, indem neben dem Erstanwendungsjahr auch das Folgejahr betrachtet wird. Im Mittelpunkt steht eine multivariate Analyse, sie zeigt, dass die Zugehörigkeit zu bestimmten Branchen, bestimmt beauftragte Abschlussprüfer. Die Unternehmensgröße, die Erstanwendung neuer IFRS-Regelungen und die im Vorjahr berichtete Anzahl an Key Audit Matters im Vergleich zum Branchendurchschnitt des Vorjahres signifikanten Einfluss auf die Veränderung der Anzahl der Key Audit Matters im Zeitablauf haben. Dabei werden die im DAX 30, MDAX und SDAX notierten Unternehmen betrachtet.
Predictive maintenance information systems: the underlying conditions and technological aspects
(2020)
Predictive maintenance has the potential to improve the reliability of production and service provisioning. However, there is little knowledge about the proper implementation of predictive maintenance in research and practice. Therefore, we conducted a multi-case study and investigated underlying conditions and technological aspects for implementing a predictive maintenance system and where it leads to. We found that predictive maintenance initiatives are triggered by severe impacts of failures on revenue and profit. Furthermore, successful predictive maintenance initiatives require that pre-conditions are fulfilled: Data must be available and accessible. Very important is also the support by the management. We identified four factors important for the implementation of predictive maintenance. The integration of data is highly facilitated by Cloud-based mechanisms. The detection of events is enabled by advanced analytics. The execution of predictive maintenance operations is supported by data-driven process automation and visualization.
Operational Excellence
(2020)
Als operative Exzellenz oder Operational Excellence (OPEX) wird oft die Fähigkeit eines Unternehmens bezeichnet, "Strukturen, Prozesse und Verhaltensweisen entlang der Wertschöpfungskette so auszurichten, dass eine lernende und sich kontinuierlich verbessernde Organisation entsteht, deren Fokus auf einer hocheffizienten Umsetzung der Kundenanforderungen liegt" (ROI Management Consulting). Am Ende steht die ganzheitliche Verbesserung aller direkten und indirekten Funktionen im Wetschöpfungsprozess. Während Operational Excellence bei Produktionsprozessen bereits zu großen Effizienzgewinn geführt hat, gibt es in Bereichen wie Verwaltung und Logistik noch Nachholbedarf.
Fehler, Manipulation und Rationalität – wie das Reporting das Verhalten der Entscheider beeinflusst
(2020)
Der Zweck des Management Reporting besteht darin, den Informationsbedarf der Führungskräfte zu befriedigen. Sowohl Ersteller als auch Nutzer von Berichten handeln aber nur begrenzt rational. Berichte wirken deshalb nicht „zielgenau“, sondern lösen vielfältige nicht gewünschte Reaktionen bei den Beteiligten aus. In diesem Beitrag erfahren Sie, wie sich „der Faktor Mensch“ auf die Erstellung und Nutzung von Management Reports auswirkt und wie ein effektives und effizientes Management Reporting unerwünschte Wirkungen minimieren kann.
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.
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.
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.
This article studies the current debate on Coronabonds and the idea of European public debt in the aftermath of the Corona pandemic. According to the EU-Treaty economic and fiscal policy remains in the sovereignty of Member States. Therefore, joint European debt instruments are risky and trigger moral hazard and free-riding in the Eurozone. We exhibit that a mixture of the principle of liability and control impairs the present fiscal architecture and destabilizes the Eurozone. We recommend that Member States ought to utilize either the existing fiscal architecture available or establish a political union with full sovereignty in Europe. This policy conclusion is supported by the PSPP-judgement of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany on 5 May 2020. This ruling initiated a lively debate about the future of the Eurozone and Europe in general.
Im Frühjahr 1817 unternahm der damalige Professor Friedrich List an der Universität Tübingen eine Reise nach Frankfurt a. M., wo zu dieser Zeit die berühmte Ostermesse stattfand. Dort traf er mit den Anführern der Kaufleute zusammen, die darüber klagten, dass die zaghafte wirtschaftliche Entwicklung unter den vielen Zollschranken und den Billigimporten aus England stark zu leiden habe. Deshalb forderten sie die Abschaffung der Binnenzölle und die Bildung einer Wirtschaftsunion. Im Auftrag der Kaufleute verfasste List seine berühmt gewordene Petition an die Bundesversammlung, die lose Interessenvertretung des Deutschen Bundes in Frankfurt. Als die Petition mit großem Beifall aufgenommen wurde, gründete List im Hochgefühl seines Erfolges spontan den "Allgemeinen Deutschen Handels- und Gewerbsverein" – die erste Interessenvertretung deutscher Kaufleute. Er legte damit den Grundstein für den politischen Prozess zur Gründung des Zollvereins von 1834, der wiederum die Vorstufe zur Gründung des Deutschen Reiches von 1871 bildete. Lists damalige Forderungen sind zurzeit wieder hoch aktuell.
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.
Das Value-Engineering in der Kundenkommunikation ist eine strukturierte Methode, Kommunikationsprozesse zwischen Unternehmen zu verbessern. Das Konzept greift bewährte Elemente der technischen Wertanalyse und der Gemeinkosten-Wertanalyse auf und überträgt sie auf die Kundenkommunikation. Der Ansatz bietet eine systematische Vorgehensweise, Kommunikationsprozesse zwischen Anbieter und Kunde zu durchleuchten und neu zu gestalten. Value-Engineering in der Kundenkommunikation schafft somit Wettbewerbsvorteile durch eine Optimierung der Kommunikation.
Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten der Bilanzierung einens Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) beim Emittenten auf der Passivseite nach den Regelungen der IFRS. Ziel ist es, die bilanzielle Einordnung anhand verschiedenenr Arten von Token zu erörtern und den Emittenten bei der Ausgestaltung der Token sowie der anschließenden Bilanzierung zu unterstützen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Standards für die bilanzielle Einordnung von ICO-Token zwar ausreichen, allerdings eine große Bandbreite der Bilanzierung zu berücksichtigen ist und eine detaillierte Regelung durch einen eigenen IFRS daher schwierig erscheint.
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.
Customer foresight is a relatively new research field. We introduce the customer foresight territory by discussing it localization between customer research and foresight research. For this purposse, we look at a variety of methods that help to understand customers and future realities. On this basis we provide an overwiew of customer foresight methods and outline an ideal-typical research journey.
This study investigates how integrated reporting (IR) creates value for investors. It examines how providers of financial capital benefit from an improved firm information environment provided by IR. Specifically, this study investigates the effect of voluntary IR disclosure on analyst earnings forecast accuracy as well as on firm value. To do so, we use an international sample of 167 listed companies that voluntarily publish an integrated report. Our analysis shows no significant effect of a voluntary IR publication on analyst earnings forecast accuracy and no significant effect on firm value. We thus do not find evidence for the fulfillment of IR's promises regarding improved information environment and value creation of voluntary adopters. We conclude that such companies might already have a relatively high level of transparency leading to an absent additional effect of IR disclosure. Positive effects of IR appear to be more relevant in environments where IR is mandatory.
The key aim of Open Strategy is to open up the process of strategy development to larger groups within and even outside an organization. Furthermore, Open Strategy aims to include broad groups of stakeholders in the various steps of the strategy process. The question at hand is how can Open Strategy be achieved? What approaches can be used? Scenario planning and business wargaming are approaches perceived as relevant tools in the field of strategy and strategic foresight and in the context of Open Strategy because of their participative nature. The aim of this article is to assess to what degree scenario planning and business wargaming can be used in the context of Open Strategy. While these approaches are suitable, their current application limits the number of potential participants. Further research and experimentation in practice with larger groups and/or online approaches, or a combination of both, are needed to explore the potential of scenario planning and business wargaming as tools for Open Strategy.
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.
Airports largely outgrew their sole purpose of simply being travel hubs and by connecting millions of passengers to their destinations each year on an international scale, they have become increasingly interesting for business and related marketing opportunities. In fact, passengers are easily segmented and can be reached effectively throughout specific airport areas, making some areas more suitable for advertising than others. Emotional states, roaming time and the freedom to move vastly, influence how much information passengers are able to absorb from their direct surroundings. Finally our research shows that some areas are more suitable than others. Therefore a careful selection of airport locations for communication will be key to secure the impact and improve the effectiveness of communication measures. With these insights, advertisers can deliberately choose the areas that are most effective for displaying their ads.
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.
The dynamic capabilities perspective is aimed at explaining how firms achieve and sustain competitive advantages, especially in environments that become volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). In this paper, we combine factors that explain dynamic capabilities on the firm level with factors of dynamic managerial capabilities on the individual level. In addition to the dynamic capabilities theory, we draw on corporate foresight (CF) literature to test the impact of CF training. We find that both the organizational-level practices and the individual-level training of leaders are positively associated with firm-level outcomes. We further observe that this relationship is mediated by dynamic managerial capabilities (i.e., the ability of leaders to challenge current business models, make decisions under uncertainty, and reconfigure organizational resources). Our findings emphasize the importance of training leaders and building organizational CF practices to build the dynamic capabilities needed in VUCA environments.
Faszination Flughafen
(2020)
In an increasingly competitive environment, suppliers are now seen as an important source of innovation. Long term partnerships enable companies to access the knowledge of suppliers to optimize their business. "Procurement 4.0" is one of the concepts that come to the fore when talking about digitalization of business processes. The major aim of this research is to discuss a conceptual model of "Procurement 4.0" and its potential to rethink the management of supplier relationships, which will be one of the main future tasks of procurement. The paper is based on a factual-analytical research approach that serves to continuously specify and supplement the elements of the frame of reference: Two challenging concepts, "Procurement 4.0" and Supplier Relationship Management, are merged to contribute to the fact that purchasing is indispensable as an "interface" within a global supply chain to reap the benefits of digitization. The factors that prove to be obstacles to digital supplier relationship management along the digital supplier journey - e.g. lack of guidelines, approaches or tools and a lack of understanding of the importance of long-term relationships - are reflected within the identified technologies of digital transformation. A comprehensive analysis of the given situation within digital supplier relationship management in Germany is provided. The most important digital supplier touchpoints are discussed in order to develop a traditional supplier relationship towards a digital relationship management. Thus, this paper succeeds in illustrating how the innovative concept of a supplier journey can be implemented in practice to counteract the future, entrepreneurial challenges.
India’s growth: perspectives for Indo-European business “Skilled labour in India: bridging the gap”
(2011)
The following paper is based on a survey conducted for ESB Business School and will show how German companies perceive India’s labour market. Besides existing geographical and sectoral gaps we will reveal gaps in the required qualification profile. Thinking merely of hard qualification factors like education levels, skills etc., though, would be short-sighted. Often cited intercultural qualifications also play an important role.
What can be done? What should be done to bridge these gaps? These will be the leading questions of this chapter. We will discuss some solutions – not forgetting that the problems German companies face are complex and knowing there is no ideal way. However, we will see that some of the most urgent problems can be solved or reduced by Indo-European or Indo-German co operation models in the field of vocational training and institutions of higher education.
Since 2000, Indian special economic zones were established with the intention to attract foreign direct investment. We present a first empirical assessment with new data from 1980 to 2010 and evaluate the outcome after 10 years. In general, our empirical results confirm that special economic zones attract FDI statistical significantly. Another finding of the study is that open economies with stable inflation attract more FDI than small and closed economies.
The variety and interdependencies of enterprise systems that digitize large organizations’ processes have grown significantly, resulting in complex enterprise systems landscapes. Avoiding such complexity requires addressing the IT-business engagement gap between (inadvertent) producers of complexity in the business and those in IT who have to manage it. We identify mechanisms for tackling three components of this gap: 1) bridging the awareness gap through information sharing, 2) narrowing the incentive gap through shared goals, and 3) closing the authority gap by evening out power differentials through empowerment.
Beim Guerilla Marketing handelt es sich um die Auswahl untypischer und undogmatischer Marketingaktivitäten, die mit einem oftmals vergleichsweise geringen Mitteleinsatz eine möglichst große Wirkung erzielen sollen. Im Kern zielt Guerilla Marketing darauf ab, anders zu sein und aufzufallen. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über Methoden und Instrumente des Guerilla Marketing-Mix, die sich insbesondere (aber nicht nur) für Startups im Wettbewerb gegen etablierte, mit entsprechenden finanziellen Ressourcen ausgestattete Unternehmen eignen.
Established companies are facing two transformations involving digital technologies: becoming digitized and becoming digital. The platforms enabling these transformations are fundamentally different in their purpose, target state, success metrics — and especially, in the key responsibilities of senior leaders. Because of these differences, companies will need to apply new rules new roles, processes, metrics, and norms — to the new digital platform. To develop new rules leaders should (1) separate the teams working on the digital platform, (2) allow digital platform leaders to experiment with new rules, and (3) identify new leaders and coach them to succeed with new rules. Given the time it takes to establish new rules, companies need to start breaking old rules now.
Ein Markenzeichen der Hochschule Reutlingen ist die enge Kooperation zwischen Forschern, Lehrenden, Praktikern und Studierenden. Professor*innen der Hochschule Reutlingen bieten neben dem so genannten „State-of-the-Art“- Managementwissen systemische Strukturaufstellungen als „komplementäre Medizin“ für Führungskräfte an.
Social Selling – ein innovativer Vertriebsansatz, der die Prinzipien des digitalen Marketings auf den Vertrieb anwendet – findet in der Unternehmenspraxis zunehmend Beachtung. Die Forschung, insbesondere zur Ausgestaltung von Social Selling, steht allerdings noch am Anfang. Mit Hilfe der Daten der Social-Media-Kanäle Facebook und LinkedIn von zwei Industriegüterunternehmen wird in einer explorativen Studie herausgefunden, dass eine direkte Vernetzungsanfrage zur Erweiterung des Netzwerks effizient ist und dass Social-Selling-Beiträge, die zu Beginn und Ende einer Woche vor allem vormittags als visuelles Format (Fotos, Videos) veröffentlicht werden, am erfolgversprechendsten hinsichtlich Klicks, Likes, Shares und Comments sind.