Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2020-07-02"
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- Car-on-demand models : the understood value of car attributes in GermanyPublication . Beermann, Marcel; Caldiero, FabioAs times changed, the automotive companies need to transform from a car producer to a mobility provider. A customer nowadays demands more than a plain car as a product. The customers desire a car as a service to be satisfied. One way to become a mobility provider and to offer the car as a service is the implementation of a Car-on-Demand service. This study will assess the understood value of car attributes in Germany for a newly developed Car-on-Demand Model. The research project was animated through one main research questions and several sub-questions to define the scope since this topic is complex in its nature. ‘The main research questions was: What are the most important attributes/features of a new CoD model, and what is the relative value of each component?’ The theoretical research exhausts vast literature and challenges in the automotive sector to understand changing consumer preferences for mobility. By using focus groups and surveys to collect primary data, the understood value of the attributes were calculated through a conjoint analysis. Later in the process, based on the respondents’ preferences, four consumer clusters were created. This dissertation concluded that the attributes pre-selected through the focus group are mostly relevant. Only the use of multiple cars within the package was disliked as well as an area limitation of the service. Differences in preferences could be identified through the clustering analysis.
- How should strategic corporate venturing for HUGO BOSS be designed in alignment with its heritage and company culture?Publication . Fink, Felix; Sousa, José VasconcelosThis dissertation “How Should Strategic Corporate Venturing for HUGO BOSS Be Designed in Alignment with Its Heritage and Company Culture?” by Felix Fink examines possible future strategic challenges of HUGO BOSS. It further elaborates how those future strategic challenges could be managed with non-traditional innovation tools in alignment with the corporate environment. Since HUGO BOSS is a real corporation operating in an environment which is influenced by many factors a qualitative approach was preferred. Major findings among others have been that increasing brand desirability is perceived as future strategic challenge, R&D spending of HUGO BOSS seems to exceed industry average and that founders are willing to collaborate with HUGO BOSS under certain terms. All findings are reflected in a recommendation that suggests implementing three different forms of corporate venturing.
- Everything has an end, only the sausage has two : profit & purpose : the case of Rügenwalder MühlePublication . Schäfer, Carolin Andrea; Bicho, MartaOur society is increasingly confronted with the challenges of climate change and a growing world population. As a result, people are adapting their consumption behaviour and demand more sustainable products. A growing number of businesses respond to those changes by stimulating a transformational process to drive positive social change (Stephan et al., 2016). Companies are eager to adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) measures to demonstrate initiative. Some even go beyond that by transforming into a mission-driven for-profit company – a form of hybridization. Rügenwalder Mühle (RM), a Germany-based sausage producer, successfully underwent such a transformation. From 2014 onwards, it revamped its business model by expanding its assortment with plant-based products. RM considers meat substitutes beneficial for the environment as it is more resource-saving and prevents high CO2-emissions. The case study showcases how the hybridization was initiated due to changing stakeholder perceptions; how the company dealt with consumer tensions during the process using the communicational tool of strategic ambiguity; and how future decisions can be evaluated according to a market orientation approach. The dissertation provides insights into hybridization success factors: First, it is important to carefully keep track of changing stakeholders and, based on that, draw the right innovative conclusions. Second, companies can manage their stakeholders during the hybridization process by embracing the diversity, rather than ignoring it. And third, an appropriate evaluation of strategies can help to gauge future decisions.
- Disruptive innovation in the healthcare sector : the advent of AI chatbotsPublication . Hoppe, Niklas; Rajsingh, PeterOver the last several decades, the healthcare sector has faced many challenges. These include a shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas, high clinical costs, and an increasing number of diseases needing to be treated. This thesis focuses on the potential and the limitations of an innovative way to solve problems in healthcare – use of AI chatbots. We highlight the user’s perspective concerning AI healthcare chatbot technology. Based on qualitative and quantitative research, we conclude that this novel technology offers new opportunities for diagnostics, enables work to be carried out more efficiently, and gives the patient the power to “self-diagnose”. AI chatbots have not yet reached their full potential due to legal restrictions, insufficient data, and the lack of capacity to integrate them into different systems. Even though the number of AI chatbot users is increasing, people trust chatbots less than doctors. To enhance user engagement and create a higher level of trust, credible entities such as doctors and the government could recommend the use of AI chatbots. The general acceptance of chatbots has to be analyzed per country since it is explained by socio-economic factors (education, age, income), personality-related factors (attitude to new things, curiosity) and communication behavior factors.
- Sustainable and intelligent mobilityPublication . Orvalho, Luísa; Teixeira, Ricardo; Filipe, RicardoSustainable mobility and smart mobility are undoubtedly interconnected. With the increase in the population in urban centers, new solutions can be improved. This article explores the current mobility environment and the most relevant solutions being developed.
- How can complementary currency schemes transform communities? : the case study of the Bristol PoundPublication . McDowall, Louise Marie Laurence; Bicho, MartaOver the last decade, the emergence of Complementary Currency Schemes (CCS) has shown a new promising innovative means to face big banks’ austerity, following the 2008 economic crisis. Given the diversity in their design and operational model, each one of them has a different goal and impact. This study aims to demonstrate the potential of a CCS in the transformation of a community, as they are considered to be currencies created by and for the general public. Moving from theory to practice, it takes as an example the local currency, the Bristol Pound. Launched in 2012, the Bristol Pound is mainly known as one of the most successful CCS in the UK. The local currency was designed with the primary aim to boost the local economy by creating a shorter trade circuit and keeping the money inside the city. Given the analysis of secondary data, the study focuses on the three sustainable development dimensions to highlight the Bristol Pound’s impacts. In addition, it will examine all the components of social capital to understand better how the local currency empowers it. This study can assist future or current managers of CCS with the development, evolution and strategic path they want to follow. It will help managers, intending to make a similar choice, to understand the best practices needed to make their CCS successful and enduring.
- Winning tomorrow today? : entry mode mechanisms in nascent versus non-nascent industries : investigating eSports and Sports dealsPublication . Schwerdtfeger, Jan-Clemens; Bertrand, OlivierGrasping all mechanisms of entry mode decisions remains a puzzle to strategists. Although well researched in established industries and cross-border settings, literature exploring nascent industry expansion remains scarce. Entering such emerging industries bears particular challenges to managers as they juggle between exponential growth and enormous uncertainty in their governance choice formulation. While gaining great importance, literature fails to provide clear evidence on potential implications on entry mode decisions. This study addresses this gap. Precisely, it investigates how firms’ entry mode choices (among acquisitions and non-equity alliances) differ between nascent and non-nascent industries. To test this phenomenon, this study chooses the eSports business as empirical context, fulfilling numerous characteristics of emerging industries, and contrasts it to traditional sports as established counterpart. Combining two leading deal databases with manual data collection, this paper builds a dataset of 520 eSports and sports deals between 2015 and 2020. By running logistic regression, it becomes evident that entering nascent industries has a significant negative effect on acquisition probability. Vice versa, firms choose non-equity alliances more frequently in such novel contexts. The negative effect increases further when moderating the relationship with acquirer-target relatedness and diversification level. The results provide rich evidence that entry mode mechanisms differ in the presence of nascent industries, incrementing the likelihood of choosing non-equity alliances as governance. Among others, this paper identifies increased uncertainty and acquirers’ limited need for nascent resources and capabilities as potential reasons. Overall, this paper calls for additional research on nascent industries from a strategy perspective.
- A patrimonialização das grandes áreas comerciais : estudo histórico : reflexão teórica : programação artístico-culturalPublication . Rocha, Sónia Isabel Santos da; Abreu, José Guilherme
- Disruption in HR : the impact of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning innovation on recruitingPublication . Weißenburger, Julius Eric; Rajsingh, PeterTalent is increasingly important for organizations which makes corporate recruitment a significant ongoing function. Recruiting top talent cannot occur where there are inefficiencies, high costs and lack of innovation. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are disrupting industries and different areas of business practice. This technology has the potential to create unprecedented value in recruiting functions also, by positively impacting efficiency, costs and employee fit. Despite rapid developments in the field of AI, academic literature on AI in recruitment is thin. Researchers further call for more collaborative work between practitioners and academics. This thesis aims to tackle this gap, evaluating how AI and ML disrupt traditional recruitment processes and bring about potential new outcomes. By integrating the experiences of experts, executives and the perceptions of potential job applicants, this thesis elucidates practical implications for the adoption of AI and ML in recruiting. The thesis uses qualitative and quantitative data collection. The findings present opportunities and also the limitations of AI and ML in recruiting. Furthermore, the effects of the technology on recruiting efficiency and validity are evaluated. This creates the basis for practical recommendations for organizations regarding the adoption of this technology. Notably, in the more standardized aspects of the recruitment processes, this technology does create value in hiring.
- Consumer satisfaction as a strategic asset : the DHL Express casePublication . Cruz, José Pedro de Resendes Figueira; Xavier, RuteClient satisfaction is a key strategic variable to logistic companies that operate in a very competitive and transnational environment. The present thesis aims to characterize customer satisfaction among the DHL Express clients, determining how the several dimension that explain the quality of the service influences satisfaction, in order to take managerial implications. To fulfil this goal, a survey based on the SERVPERF model was made, measuring five dimensions, namely tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. A total of 177 responses were obtained among DHL Express clients who used import services, and the scale reliability was validated through the computation of the Cronbach α coefficient. Non-parametric statistical testing has shown that the differences in satisfaction between B2B to B2C customers, and frequent to first-time clients, were scarce. However, differences between both groups are associated to main drivers of customers satisfaction in the logistics industry, such as timeliness, order condition and technological readiness, including the complementary interfaces. Is also suggested that the customization of the services provided to frequent and first-time clients will also allow to the improvement of the services being served. The application of an ordinal logistic regression revealed that only three dimensions are significant predictors of the customer satisfaction, and besides the other managerial implications also pointed out to the need to pursue better order processing and a demanding and careful human resources selection and training. Future surveys to be served to DHL Express can be summarized from the actual model, as suggested by confirmatory factor analysis.