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In order to determine demand as precisely as possible, many businesses use several forecasting methods. The aim of forecasting is to determine future demand based on data from the past. The use of a specific method is not always easy and depends on a number of factors. To help prospective engineers find the most suitable forecasting method for a specific problem, a forecasting game was developed and then evaluated.
The paper describes the design and the evaluation of the forecasting game. In order to provide an overview of existing forecasting methods, the first part of the paper examined the mathematical fundamentals of eight different forecasting methods and outlined the requirements for their application.
The second part of the paper describes the creation of a forecasting game in which prospective engineers can learn how to determine the appropriate forecasting method for specific scenarios. In total, five scenarios covering the three different demand patterns (linear/stationary, trend and seasonal) as well as the forecast quality methods were developed and can be played through. For each scenario, the player has to choose the most appropriate forecasting method for a specific problem based on a self-created task description. To make the game as realistic as possible, a fictional company with a background story was designed.
The last part was about the evaluation of the forecasting game. For the evaluation, a student survey to gather the opinions of the students was conducted. The results of the student survey show an overall positive evaluation of the simulation game by the students. However, the test also showed that the game takes a certain amount of time. Since only 15 of the approximately 30 students who tested the game participated in the evaluation, the results are not significant.
The links between innovativeness as a driver of economic performance, and the determinants of innovativeness have been investigated by management scholars and economists for decades, focusing mostly on “hard factors” as investment in research and development, or education. Focusing on a relatively neglected, but in times of globalization even more important aspect, the infuence of cultural characteristics on innovativeness, we apply diferent econometric models to test for links between cultural tightness and looseness on the one hand, and national innovativeness on the other hand. We fnd that cultural tightness—in the sense of homogenous and intolerant societies—has a negative link to national innovativeness, while cultural looseness—in the sense of tolerant and diverse societies—displays a positive link to national innovativeness.
The impact of culture on entrepreneurship is a widely accepted phenomenon. Cultural factors influence entrepreneurship via different mechanisms on the macro-, meso-, and micro-level of a country. Building on existing research, we draw a clear link between national cultural dimensions and entrepreneurship, using a new model that arranges different cultural dimensions in groups based on their particular function: political, social, or individual (PSI-model) and that distinguishes between values and practices where relevant. The PSI-model provides a coherent theoretical framework on which different cultural dimensions and their impact on entrepreneurship can be analysed, allowing for particular attention to be drawn to social practices and social values. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between culture and entrepreneurship, providing empirical evidence of how specific cultural dimensions influence entrepreneurship. The findings are of relevance from a policy perspective and can be used to generate practical recommendations for national institutions interested in promoting entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial activities. The findings are also transferable to other fields related to national cultural dimensions such as level of innovation, investment, budgeting etc.
There is a popular saying in German: Innovation is when the market shouts “Hooray!”. Thus, a new idea is only as good as its diffusion into the addressed social system. The question is what affects the adoption or rejection of a new idea. Carsten Deckert shares his experience on the main innovation resistances and on ways to increase the acceptance of new ideas. He talks about which perceived attributes of innovations are conducive to the rate of adoption of an innovation and which are characteristics of failed innovations.
The definition of individual creativity is based on a tension between novelty on the one side and usefulness respectively appropriateness on the other side. The paper explores how this tension pervades the stage and componential theories of creativity. To achieve this, the so called value square (“Wertequadrat”) developed by Helwig (1967) and Schulz von Thun (1998)is used which balances a value with its countervalue to analyze creativity. The author identifies tensions of action and inaction, expertise and mindfulness, precision and ambiguity as well as immersion and detachment permeating the creative process and the components of creativity. As a conclusion a morphological box for creativity is presented which allows one to show which combination of characteristics of the tensions support different stages of creativity. Furthermore implications for development and time management are discussed.
The standard definition of creativity is based on a tension between originality and effectiveness. Borrowing from the wave-particle duality in physics one could say that there is an originality-effectiveness duality at work for creativity. The paper explores how this tension pervades Amabile's (1997) componential theory of organizational creativity with the components organizational motivation, management practices (including work assignment and work control) and resources. As a method the so called value square (" Wertequadrat ") developed by Helwig (1967) and Schulz von Thun (1998) is used which balances a value with its countervalue. The author identifies a tension of corporate tradition and corporate change for organizational motivation, a tension of skills and challenges for work assignment, a tension of management by control and management by loss of control for work control as well as a tension of organizational efficiency and organizational slack for resources. Additionally different implications of these tensions for the resistance of a company to creativity, for an organizational climate conducive to creativity as well as for resource allocation in creative endeavours are discussed.