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In der Wissenschaft herrschte lange das Bild des Homo oeconomicus, eines rational handelnden Individuums, vor. Allerdings bleiben in diesem Modell Emotionen und soziale Präferenzen, wie Fairness und Reziprozität, unberücksichtigt, weshalb die Effizienz von Vergütungs- und Anreizsystemen zu hinterfragen ist. Mit Hilfe der beiden Konstrukte Fairness und Reziprozität können die Motivation und der Arbeitseinsatz von Individuen beeinflusst werden. Durch die richtige Wahl der (fairen) Entlohnungsform kann demnach die Motivation der Arbeitnehmer und somit die Arbeitsleistung gesteigert werden. Daher ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass Unternehmen einen großen Aufwand in Kauf nehmen, um ein geeignetes Vergütungs- und Anreizsystem für ihre Mitarbeiter zu entwickeln. Der richtige Einsatz von Anreizsystemen spielt besonders bei der Entlohnung von Versicherungsvertretern eine entscheidende Rolle. Gerade in dieser sehr leistungsorientierten Branche, bei der das Vergütungssystem durch Provisionen und Courtage geprägt ist, stellt die Motivation der Versicherungsvertreter die Versicherungsunternehmen vor eine große Herausforderung. Zielsetzung im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit ist es, mit Hilfe von empirischen Studien die empfundene Fairness verschiedener Entlohnungsformen zu untersuchen und ein faires Vergütungs- und Anreizsystem zu identifizieren. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit liegt der Fokus auf dem Versicherungsvertrieb. Anreizkompatible Experimente untersuchen die Effizienz der beiden wichtigsten Anreizsysteme im Versicherungsvertrieb – Ausschreibungen mit individuellen Zielvorgaben und Turnierentlohnung. Bei Ausschreibung mit individuellen Zielvorgaben stehen neben der Effizienz der Entlohnungsform die Ausgestaltung mittels Framing sowie der Einfluss von Reziprozität im Vordergrund. Bei der Turnierentlohnung liegt der Fokus auf der Effizienz verschiedener Gestaltungsparameter des Turniers. Die Ergebnisse der theoretischen und empirischen Analysen erweitern die wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse und leiten Implikationen für die Versicherungsbranche im Hinblick auf die Motivation der Versicherungsvertreter sowie den effizienten Einsatz von Ausschreibungen mit individuellen Zielvorgaben und Turnieren ab.
Background: Physician-rating websites are currently gaining in popularity because they increase transparency in the health care system. However, research on the characteristics and content of these portals remains limited. Objective: To identify and synthesize published evidence in peer-reviewed journals regarding frequently discussed issues about physician-rating websites. Methods: Peer-reviewed English and German language literature was searched in seven databases (Medline (via PubMed), the Cochrane Library, Business Source Complete, ABI/Inform Complete, PsycInfo, Scopus, and ISI web of knowledge) without any time constraints. Additionally, reference lists of included studies were screened to assure completeness. The following eight previously defined questions were addressed: 1) What percentage of physicians has been rated? 2) What is the average number of ratings on physician-rating websites? 3) Are there any differences among rated physicians related to socioeconomic status? 4) Are ratings more likely to be positive or negative? 5) What significance do patient narratives have? 6) How should physicians deal with physician-rating websites? 7) What major shortcomings do physician-rating websites have? 8) What recommendations can be made for further improvement of physician-rating websites? Results: Twenty-four articles published in peer-reviewed journals met our inclusion criteria. Most studies were published by US (n=13) and German (n=8) researchers; however, the focus differed considerably. The current usage of physician-rating websites is still low but is increasing. International data show that 1 out of 6 physicians has been rated, and approximately 90% of all ratings on physician-rating websites were positive. Although often a concern, we could not find any evidence of "doctor-bashing". Physicians should not ignore these websites, but rather, monitor the information available and use it for internal and ex-ternal purpose. Several shortcomings limit the significance of the results published on physician-rating websites; some recommendations to address these limitations are presented. Conclusions: Although the number of publications is still low, physician-rating websites are gaining more attention in research. But the current condition of physician-rating websites is lacking. This is the case both in the United States and in Germany. Further research is necessary to increase the quality of the websites, especially from the patients’ perspective.
This thesis provides important empirical evidence on the German labor market which faces tremendous challenges by ongoing demographic changes. With an expected decrease in its labor force and an aging society, Germany has to find ways to maintain its economic stability and the functioning of its welfare state. Two possible solutions are discussed: immigration – especially of highly skilled immigrants – and investments in human capital that allow individuals to find better paying and more stable jobs. Section 2 addresses the question to what extent immigrants are able to overcome initial wage disadvantages vis-à-vis comparable natives. Adding to the extant literature on this topic, the analysis particularly takes into account differences between skill groups and how these differences may be responsible for different wage assimilation patterns. The results show that highly skilled immigrants are not able to catch up with their native peers in terms of wages, while the initial wage gap between low/medium skilled immigrants and natives narrows over time. This can be in part explained by theoretical considerations such as Merton’s (1968) theory of cumulative advantages or may simply be the result of employers’ discrimination against immigrants, e.g., by hindering the promotion of immigrants into better paying jobs (“glass ceilings”). Section 3 also refers to Merton’s (1968) theory of cumulative advantages and looks at one of the sources of initial disparities between immigrants and natives, i.e., the occurrence of youth unemployment. As Burgess (2003) points out, youth unemployment has long-lasting negative consequences particularly for lower skilled individuals. The analysis in Section 3 thus considers only graduates from lower and intermediate secondary schools, i.e., Hauptschule and Realschule. By using proportional hazard models I show that controlling for individual, parental, and regional background can only explain part of the difference in the risk of becoming unemployed between immigrants and natives. However, second generation immigrants of Turkish origin, an especially vulnerable group also in other countries, stand out as the group with the highest unemployment risk, ceteris paribus. While immigration offers one possible solution to address Germany’s demographic challenges, increasing the overall skills of its population may be another means to help alleviate the economic pressure caused by the shortage of skilled labor. Germany’s vocational training system is often praised for its effectiveness in providing young adults with the necessary human capital to smoothly enter the labor market (e.g., Heckman, 1994). In addition, Germany’s “dual system” (duales System) is seen as being largely responsible for the low youth unemployment rates in Germany compared to other Western countries. This thesis investigates the extent to which human capital investments, e.g. in form of apprenticeship or vocational training, are beneficial with respect to labor market outcomes early in individuals’ careers. Using a sample of 25 years old East and West German youths who graduated from lower or intermediate secondary school, i.e., Hauptschule or Realschule, Section 4 examines the returns to apprenticeship and vocational training (AVT) regarding three early labor market outcomes: non-employment, fulltime employment, and wages. As predicted by Becker’s (1964) human capital theory, AVT is beneficial with respect to all three outcomes. AVT graduates have c.p. significantly lower risks of non-employment, significantly higher propensities of having a fulltime permanent job, and they earn significantly higher wages than their peers without a vocational degree. Interestingly, we find no significant differences in the returns between apprenticeship degrees and degrees from other forms of vocational training at an early stage in young persons’ careers. Despite differences in general economic conditions, returns to AVT do not differ between East and West Germany. They also show no significant decline over time even in light of an ongoing educational expansion that leads to an increase in the share of graduates from higher secondary schools.
Asymptotic Theory for M-estimators in general autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity models
(2013)
Since the introduction of the autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic model (ARCH) and its successful application to the variance of the UK's inflation rate by Engle (1982), there has been a growing interest in these models. Especially, the extension to the linear GARCH (LGARCH) model of Bollerslev (1986) has made it possible to capture many characteristics of financial data with one single model. Recently, various extensions of LGARCH model has been proposed and can be summarized in the class of augmented GARCH models. The present work studies asymptotic properties of M-estimators for the unknown parameters of these models. Since in practice the quasi-maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) and the least absolute deviation estimator (LADE) are by far the most popular ones, the work focusses on these two examples of M-estimators. In particular, conditions are identified under which both estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal in polynomial GARCH models and the EGARCH model. The finite sample behaviour is studied and it can be concluded that the heavier the tails of the error distribution the better performs the LADE compared to the QMLE. Finally, the developed theory is applied to estimate the volatility of the DAX30 index and to calculate the one-day-ahead Value-at-Risk for the DAX30 index. It can be seen that the EGARCH model gives the best fit and is therefore more appropriate to other models.
Auf dem deutschen Versicherungsmarkt ist eine zunehmende Konzentration festzustellen. Zudem unterliegen die Marktanteilsveränderungen der einzelnen Anbieter starken Schwankungen. Daher wird ein professionelles Versicherungsmarketing zukünftig ein wichtiges Instrument zum erfolgreichen Bestehen auf dem Versicherungsmarkt sein. In der Marketingliteratur werden Emotionen schon lange als entscheidender Faktor wahrgenommen, welcher die Informationsverarbeitung und Entscheidungsfindung des Konsumenten beeinflussen kann. Zielsetzung dieser Arbeit ist es, den Einfluss von Emotionen auf Versicherungsentscheidungen darzustellen und somit eine Entscheidungsgrundlage für den effektiven Einsatz von Instrumenten im Versicherungsmarketing zu schaffen. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen werden zum einen das Versicherungsverhalten und der Einfluss von Emotionen aus einer theoretischen Perspektive analysiert. Ausgehend von den Erkenntnissen der (Cumulative-)Prospect-Theorie werden Versicherungsentscheidungen erläutert und anschließend wird der Einfluss von Emotionen erörtert. Im Anschluss wird ein theoretisches Modell aufgestellt, welches den Einfluss von Emotionen im Risiko- und Versicherungsverhalten strukturiert. Zum anderen werden experimentelle Untersuchungen durchgeführt, die den Einfluss von Emotionen auf das Versicherungsverhalten empirisch analysieren. Die Untersuchungen befassen sich mit zwei Themengebieten. Im Mittelpunkt der ersten Studie stehen das Konsumentenverhalten und der Einfluss von Emotionen auf die Zahlungsbereitschaft für eine Versicherung. Im Rahmen der zweiten Studie wird die Wirkung von Gefühlszuständen in der Versicherungswerbung untersucht. Die Ergebnisse der theoretischen und empirischen Analyse zeigen, dass emotionale Aspekte einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf Versicherungsentscheidungen ausüben können. Zum einen werden durch die Ergebnisse die Erkenntnisse im wissenschaftlichen Bereich erweitert. Zum anderen zeigt sich auch deren praktische Relevanz für das Versicherungsmarketing, was sich in diversen aus den Ergebnissen abgeleiteten Implikationen widerspiegelt.
This paper develops a new theoretical model for couples’ migration decisions, called the mobility game. The model describes migration decisions as reliant on the strategic interdependence of two partners. The important implications of this model are as follows: first, under complete information, a household move is the ‘natural’ solution for stable couples; second, incomplete information allows the tied mover to ‘blackmail’ the partner and thus to avoid the household move; and third, the decision to commute will depend mostly on the preferences of the potential commuter. The hypotheses derived from this theoretical framework are empirically testable, although the necessary information is difficult to measure. The hypotheses are tested employing a quasi-experimental design known as factorial survey, which allows one to vary systematically the incentives for moving. The empirical results confirm the importance of both strategic reasoning and mechanisms for solving problems of cooperation within the partnership.
The dissertation investigates determinants of the decision to enter tertiary education. Three essays analyze different aspects related to the topic. The first essay compares the effect of parental education and parental income in the relevant age for access to tertiary education. Econometric estimations based on the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP) show the relevance of both factors. Further estimations correct for the bias that occurs in estimations of educational attainment when subsequent levels in the educational system are passed. The results indicate that both factors lose influence but parental income in the relevant age for access to tertiary education remains statistically significant. The second essay analyzes whether an investment in tertiary education is risky. Information on the willingness to take risks is surveyed in the SOEP at the time an individual studies. The results show that when socioeconomic background is controlled for risk attitude has no significant influence on the propensity to study. Estimations that correct for the selection effect in the educational system leave this result unaffected. The third essay investigates returns to tertiary education. Based on Linked Employer-Employee data from the Federal Statistical Office the estimations show a positive return to a university compared to a polytechnic degree. The results indicate heterogeneities with regard to gender, West and East Germany as well as for different specifications of the estimated models and an alternative estimation approach. For young cohorts an equalization of the returns to tertiary education can be observed.
BALANCE: Die 41 bundesweiten Verbundprojekte des Förderschwerpunkts „Balance von Flexibilität und Stabilität in einer sich wandelnden Arbeitswelt“ und die darin enthaltenen 156 Teilvorhaben haben zwischen 2009 und 2013 untersucht, wie sich, in einer modernen Arbeitswelt, Chancen nutzen und Risiken vermeiden lassen. Dabei stand das Ausbalancieren der Ambivalenz zwischen Stabilität und Flexibilität im Fokus. Acht thematische Fokusgruppen, die durch das Metaprojekt BALANCE begleitet werden, erarbeiteten Ideen für Politik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, die eine Entwicklung zukunftstauglicher Lösungen und Ansätze vorantreiben sollen. Innovationsgesellschaft: Eine Gesellschaft im Wandel muss sich selbst verändern, um diesem Wandel gerecht zu werden. Die Veränderungen einer globalisierten und digitalisierten Welt haben immensen Einfluss auf unsere soziale Umgebung. Innovationsfähigkeit muss daher bedeuten, Dinge nicht nur zu wissen, sondern auch aktiv gestaltend zu ihrer Veränderung beizutragen. Working Knowledge: In der Innovationsgesellschaft benötigen alle Mitglieder Wissen, das arbeitet, und Wissen um Arbeit. Working Knowledge steht dabei symbolisch für die Ideen und Konzepte der Arbeitsgestaltung, die im Förderschwerpunkt erarbeitet wurden.
Wirtschaftliche Transaktionen sind geprägt von Unsicherheit. Oftmals verfügen die beteiligten Marktakteure ex ante nicht über vollständige Informationen zu einem Gut, auch das zu erwartende Verhalten des potenziellen Tauschpartners lässt sich in vielen Fällen vorab nur schwer einschätzen. Vor diesem Hintergrund kann der Rückgriff auf Reputationsmechanismen dazu beitragen, Transaktionen abzusichern. Definiert als glaubwürdig einzuschätzende Information über einen Dritten vermag die Reputation von Akteuren Informationen zu liefern, mit denen bestehende Informationsasymmetrien in wirtschaftlichen Transaktionen verringert werden können. Die Bedeutung von Reputation wurde bereits in verschiedenen wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen thematisiert. Unter welchen Bedingungen Reputation im direkten Austausch zwischen Akteuren, und damit informell entsteht, wurde bislang allerdings sowohl in soziologischen als auch in ökonomischen Arbeiten weitgehend ausgeklammert. Diese Fragestellung wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit in zwei Beiträgen aufgegriffen. Kapitel zwei beschäftigt sich mit grundlegenden Mechanismen der Reputationsentstehung. Untersucht werden die Bedingungen, unter denen Informationen über die Erfahrungen mit einem Geschäftspartner an Dritte weitergegeben werden. Als wirtschaftliche Transaktion dient der Einkauf einer Weiterbildungsmaßnahme. Die empirische Überprüfung erfolgt mithilfe eines faktoriellen Surveys, einer quasi-experimentellen Methode, die eine systematische Variation von Einflussvariablen erlaubt. Es zeigt sich, dass Informationen nur unter bestimmten Bedingungen weitergegeben werden. So hemmen Wettbewerbsstrukturen, während reziproke sowie multiplexe Beziehungen den Informationsfluss fördern. Eine automatische Entstehung von Reputation liegt nicht vor. Es müssen vielmehr geeignete soziale Strukturen bestehen, damit Informationen weitergegeben werden. Kapitel drei widmet sich ebenso der Frage nach der Entstehung informeller Reputation, wobei die Fragestellung mithilfe eines Laborexperiments untersucht wird. In einem erweiterten Vertrauensspiel („Trust Game“) wird eine wirtschaftliche Transaktion simuliert. Anschließend besteht für die Käufer die Möglichkeit, andere über die vorangegangene Transaktion zu informieren. Auch in dieser Untersuchung zeigt sich, dass Informationen nicht automatisch weitergegeben werden. Eine Weitergabe ist beispielsweise abhängig von entstehenden Kosten, aber auch von der Art der Information. Reziprozität zwischen den Akteuren fördert eine Weitergabe von Information und damit die potenzielle Entstehung von Reputation. Kapitel vier befasst sich mit der potenziellen Wirkung von Reputation. Untersucht wird die Frage, ob die Reputation einzelner Hochschuleinrichtungen im Rekrutierungsprozess am Arbeitsmarkt eine Rolle spielt. Arbeitgeber sehen sich bei der Auswahl neuer Mitarbeiter, und insbesondere bei Berufsanfängern, generell einer Unsicherheit hinsichtlich der zu erwartenden Produktivität ausgesetzt. Es wird die Annahme getroffen, dass diese Unsicherheit durch die aufgrund der Bologna-Reform hervorgerufenen Veränderungen in der deutschen Hochschullandschaft derzeitig zusätzlich verstärkt wird. Diese Neuerungen zeigen sich insbesondere in den neu geschaffenen Bachelor- und Masterstudiengängen, sowie in einem zunehmenden Wettbewerb zwischen Hochschulinstitutionen. Dieser spiegelt sich auch in einer steigenden Zahl von Hochschulrankings wider. Unter Rückgriff auf signaltheoretische Überlegungen wird daher angenommen, dass neben den individuellen Kompetenzen und Qualifikationen der Bewerber auch der Name der Hochschuleinrichtung, an der ein Absolvent seinen Abschluss erlangt hat, im Rekrutierungsprozess von Bedeutung ist. Die empirische Überprüfung der Fragestellung erfolgt durch eine bundesweite Befragung von (Fach-) Führungskräften in deutschen Unternehmen, die potenziell Wirtschaftswissenschaftler einstellen, in Form eines faktoriellen Surveys. Es zeigt sich, dass die Entscheidungsträger vorrangig auf die individuellen Kompetenzen der Bewerber achten. Der Name der Universitätspielt hingegen nahezu keine Rolle im Auswahlprozess.
This paper focuses on audit market concentration of listed firms which is characterized by an oligopoly of “Big Four” audit firms. Hence a state of the art analysis of the status quo of concentration measurement has been conducted on the audit market from an international perspective. Thereby risks and causes of concentration development have been assessed along with the current regulatory proposals of the European Commission (EC). After a discussion of conventional measurement methods of audit market concentration, our paper gives a review of previous empirical results of audit market concentration for EU and non EU-member states. Results show that EC reforms cannot clearly be related to increase audit quality but increasing transaction costs.
Die zivile Luftfahrtindustrie bewegt sich seit ihrem Entstehen im Spannungsfeld staatlicher Reglementierung und privatwirtschaftlicher Interessen. Diese Bemühungen von Staaten um Unabhängigkeit im Verkehrsbereich – die sogenannte Transportautarkie – führte zum Aufbau bzw. zur Subventionierung nationaler Fluggesellschaften, der sog. „Flag (auch National) Carrier“. Bedingt durch die weltweiten Liberalisierungsbestrebungen (Stichwort „open sky“) haben diese protektionistischen Maßnahmen an Bedeutung verloren. Die Austrian Airlines AG wurde – wenn auch unter entsprechendem (partei)politischem Einfluss – als eine private Aktiengesellschaft (allerdings bereits in einer Kooperation mit anderen Airlines) gegründet und später aufgrund mangelnder Finanzierung verstaatlicht. Die politisch erwünschte Eigenständigkeit und Unabhängigkeit zur Durchsetzung der nationalen luftfahrtpolitischen Ziele konnte von der Gründung bis zur vollständigen Privatisierung nur durch zahlreiche Kooperationen erhalten werden. Die Austrian Airlines blieb dabei von der Gründung im Jahr 1957 bis zur über 50 Jahre später erfolgten Privatisierung in weiten Teilen ihrer Geschichte ein Spielball des – die österreichische Politik nachhaltig prägenden – Proporzsystems der politischen Parteien. Ziel dieser explorativ-deskriptiven Studie ist es, die Geschichte der Austrian Airlines umfassend zu rekonstruieren, zu strukturieren und speziell das Spannungsfeld von marktorientierter Unternehmensführung und staatlichen Interessen zu analysieren, um die Frage nach dem Einfluss der unterschiedlichen Stakeholder auf den wirtschaftlichen Erfolg des Unternehmens beantworten zu können. Dabei werden die wesentlichen Meilensteine der Unternehmensentwicklung, aber auch die Brüche und Phasen größerer Umwälzungen deutlich gemacht. Die wichtigen Phasen in der Unternehmensgeschichte, von den Vorläuferorganisationen bis zur Gründung, den Krisenjahren bis zur Verstaatlichung, den ersten Erfolgen bis zur Teilprivatisierung und vom Scheitern der Strategie der Eigenständigkeit zur vollständigen Privatisierung, werden dabei jeweils in den qualitativen Kontext von politischer Konstellation, wirtschaftlichem Umfeld und Entwicklung der Industrie gestellt.
After introducing the different data sources used in this dissertation in Chapter 2, I evaluate the linkage of the ALWA survey data with the administrative data of the IAB. I examine both consent bias and selectivity in linkage success based on survey and paradata. My results are informative for potential data users, for survey practice as well as for practitioners of record linkage. My main findings are the following: contrary to previous results, linkage consent in ALWA is not significantly related to the respondents' reported educational or income levels. Consent bias is mainly driven by the labour market status of the respondent. The highest consent rates are achieved by older, female and more experienced interviewers. Probabilistic record linkage substantially increases the number of observations without introducing additional selectivity to the linked sample compared to the result of deterministic matching. Manual matching further increases the number of observation at the cost of more pronounced selectivity of the resulting sample. Selectivity of the successfully linked data is mainly driven by the age, the immigrant background and the employment status of the respondents. In Chapter 3, I examine whether people from low-qualified family backgrounds make up for any inherited lack of formal education by means of non-formal training. Hypotheses based on economic theory and findings from various other disciplines suggest otherwise. I use the ALWA survey data to estimate the influence of family background on non-formal training participation. Count data analyses show that a low-qualified family background is negatively related to both likelihood and frequency of on-the-job training. This result holds when controlling for education, ability and personality as well as job and firm characteristics. Chapter 4, which is mainly based on a collaborative paper with one coauthor, asks whether there is a reward for basic skills in the German labour market. To answer this question, we examine the relationship between literacy, numeracy and monthly gross earnings of full-time employed workers. We use data from ALWA survey, augmented by test scores on basic cognitive skills as well as administrative earnings data. Our results indicate that earnings are positively related to both types of skills. Furthermore, there is no evidence for non-linearity in this relationship and only little heterogeneity when differentiating by sub-groups.
Organizational commitment and the well-being of temporary agency workers: A longitudinal study
(2009)
Previous research found that organizational commitment is positively related to employee well-being. However, in the current age of contingent work, transitions, and protean careers', the advisability of commitment is questionable. Therefore, we analyzed the role of organizational commitment in one paradigmatic area of contingent work arrangements: temporary agency work. In contrast to standard workers, temporary agency workers have to deal with two organizations: the temporary agency and client organization. Results revealed an ambivalent role of organizational commitment for temporary workers. Cross-sectional commitment towards the client organization had positive effects on workers' well-being, whereas commitment towards the agency had no effects. However, longitudinal analyses revealed that commitment to the client was detrimental to workers' well-being when they experienced reassignment to another client. In sum, we found beneficial and dysfunctional effects of organizational commitment on well-being, which suggest the reconsideration of the role of organizational commitment for individuals in unstable work arrangements.
Since 2003, the German Public Employment Service has been experimenting with the contracting-out of various services. One of the new labour market programmes is Personnel Service Agencies (PSAs), which provide client firms with jobseekers on a temporary assignment basis and are responsible for integrating jobseekers into non-subsidized employment. By contracting-out employment services, the Public Employment Service seeks to exploit efficiency gains characteristic of enterprises that compete in quasi-markets. In order to integrate jobseekers as rapidly as possible, a result-oriented system of incentives has been developed. This article describes the institutional setting and examines its appropriateness for efficient job placement services.
Both Britain and Germany have experienced a substantial decline in collective bargaining coverage in recent decades, though coverage is lower in Britain. Whereas multi-employer bargaining predominates in Germany, single-employer bargaining is more important in Britain. Econometric analyses show that similar variables play a statistically significant role in explaining the structure of collective bargaining in both countries; these include establishment size and age, foreign ownership, public sector affiliation and subsidiary status.
The mediatization of politics in general, and of election campaigns in particular, seems to be an obvious consequence of media changes during recent decades and of an increasing interdependence between political processes and mass communication. As in many other European countries, three trends mark such development in Germany: (1) an enormous expansion of supply of new types of media and content genres, (2) the growing importance of television in political communication and (3) the transformation of election campaigning. Based on election studies and content analysis data, this article examines these changes with regard to their impact on voter behaviour. The article looks for evidence of voter mobilization, television dependency and personalization trends, and discusses potential consequences of a changing campaign style. The findings support and, at the same time, modify some implications of the mediatization hypothesis. They concur with recent scepticism about the notion of Americanization. The article discusses the results with reference to changes in campaigning strategies, e.g. tendencies towards the secularization of election research having repercussions on research concepts and results.
Purpose – This paper aims to report on an investigation of logistics service provider (LSP) capabilities and how these capabilities contribute to LSP competitiveness in the context of China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on work from economics and strategy on firm-level competitiveness, particularly the resource-based view, to develop and empirically examined 13 firm-specific capability constructs based on a survey of Chinese LSPs. Findings – Exploratory factor analysis and factor analysis regression indicated all 13 constructs are critical to a Chinese LSP's competitiveness and are interlinked in contributing to it. The findings also revealed the most critical capability is service quality; this capability was further assessed and two sub-constructs of operations and relationship management emerged. Practical implications – The results of the empirical study provide a useful way for LSP managers to identify and appraise their firm's capabilities and competitiveness. Originality/value – This study contributes by addressing a gap of empirical research concerning LSP competitiveness and capabilities.
Purpose – In the last few years, several empirical studies about the determinants and success factors of global teams have been published. While these studies show many interesting results, they are often focused on single variables such as cultural homogeneity, cooperation length, or task complexity, but rarely analyze the complex relationships between these concepts. The aim of this paper is to explore how members of global teams consider the relevance of different determinants of their cooperation, how these determinants are interrelated, and how they influence team performance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, a network study of global teams in the automotive and airline industries is presented. Based on interviews with the members of nine teams in three companies the software programs NVivo and UCINET were applied for a construct causal network analysis of the relationships between various team characteristics and their impact on team performance. Findings – The study shows that the interaction of team members from different cultures does not directly impact the productivity and creativity of teams. This relationship is rather influenced by various determinants such as task complexity, language skills, communication media and intercultural training. Research limitations/implications – A restriction of this study is its regional concentration on teams with members from European cultures. Future research should broaden this perspective and focus on global teams with a more diverse composition in terms of culture. For example, it would be interesting to know whether for global teams in Asia, South America or Asia similar or different determinants are relevant. Originality/value – The study enhances the knowledge of the complex interrelationships between various determinants of global teams and their impact on team performance. A major methodological contribution is the analysis of real teams, enabling a far more realistic picture than previous experimental studies conducted in this area that deal with simulated teams, whose members do not have a shared past nor a shared future.
Purpose – The research questions are whether there is a difference in how men and women respond to unfair prices and, if so, whether this gender difference extends across national cultures. Is the difference due to nature or to nurture? This paper aims to answer these questions. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses scenarios to conduct a survey-based analysis of the effects of gender and country on responses to personally and socially unfair prices. Findings – The results indicate that the response to price unfairness is due more to nurture than to nature. Although American females tend to be more sensitive than men to price unfairness, there is little or no difference between men and women in Germany and South Korea: both sexes there react negatively to an unfair price, particularly when the seller has acted unjustly. Practical implications – In the USA, the gender difference in response to unfair prices suggests that different pricing tactics should be used for men than for women. However, since males in South Korea and Germany are just as sensitive as females to unfair prices, pricing tactics acceptable to American men may not work in other countries. Originality/value – This paper takes a look at the manner in which a price increase for a frequently purchased but essential product is viewed as unfair. The paper examines the issue in three contrasting countries – Germany, South Korea and the USA – to determine if any observed differences are universal or culture-specific.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual tool that would help managers to integrate the findings from strategy frameworks such as the value chain, the five forces or the VRIO framework by jointly analyzing the different levers of competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – Building on the extant literature the paper develops a strategy framework that integrates the internal and external dimensions of strategy formulation. To illustrate a practical application of the value-process framework, the paper presents a case study of a project at the German music corporation Sony BMG. Findings – The value-process framework serves managers as a conceptually unifying analysis tool that contributes to their understanding of the main levers that help to create a sustainable competitive advantage. The framework can be used to visually integrate isolated strategy frameworks by jointly analyzing the different levers of competitive advantage, and to develop consistent and integrated strategies that simultaneously take into account the internal and external perspectives of strategic decision making. Originality/value – While the existing strategy literature is good at providing specific concepts and tools of strategy analysis, it rarely connects the different dimensions and points out their interdependencies. As a result, strategic analyses are often fragmented and isolated from their broader context. The value-process framework aims to provide an overarching perspective that helps to integrate the different dimensions of strategy formulation.