Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät
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In this cumulative dissertation, I investigate unintended economic consequences of government interventions in three essays, each looking at a very specific question. The first essay examines how the introduction and enhancement of public pension systems affect demography, the second essay focuses on tax evasion via citizenship-by-investment programs, and the third essay evaluates the diversion of foreign financial assistance by powerful elites from recipient countries.
Despite the different research questions, all three essays evolve around the issue that actions of governments almost always create incentives causing unforeseen or unexpected behavioral responses. The first essay shows that increasing pension wealth creates incentives to save less for old-age in the form of own children, the second essay documents that policy instruments that increase the detection probability of tax evasion create incentives for evaders to find new ways to circumvent the law, and the third essay shows that foreign assistance creates rent-seeking incentives.
The results collected in the dissertation have implications for economic policy: Government interventions must be informed by an understanding of how well policies and programs produce (or contribute to) their desired outcomes. The results of all three essays presented in this thesis demonstrate that unforeseen or unexpected behavioral responses to government interventions can lead to economic outcomes or side effects that are divergent or contrary to the intentions of policymakers. These unintended economic consequences can significantly lessen the effectiveness of the policy or render it unsustainable. The first essay illustrates that the fertility effects of public pensions can erode the contribution base and, thus, the sustainability and political acceptance of a PAYG pension system in the long-run. The second essay shows that loopholes that have been found by evaders can lessen the deterrence effect of tax information exchange mechanisms, undermining their effectiveness to curb tax evasion. The third essay demonstrates that aid capture can prevent resources from being spent on their intended use, rendering foreign assistance less effective.
This cumulative dissertation explores the role of cultural values in sustainable innovation, and it consists of four papers:
1. Zhu, B., Habisch, A. & Thøgersen, J. (2018). The Importance of Cultural Values and Trust for Innovation- A European Study. International Journal of Innovation Management, 22(1), 1850017; First Online: 5 June 2017, doi: 10.1142/S1363919618500172
2. Habisch, A. & Zhu, B. (2017). Cultures as Determinants of Innovation- An Evidence from European Context. ABAC Journal, 37 (1), 1-11.
3. Zhu, B. (2016). Consumer’s Motivation, Opportunities and Abilities for Sustainable Consumption: A Case in China. uwf UmweltWirtschaftsForum, 1/ 16, DOI 10.1007/s00550-016-0423-6
4. Zhu, B. & Habisch, A. (under review). Farmers’ Engagement in Organic Farming Practice: An Application of the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) model in Southern China. Eingereicht bei: Journal of Cleaner Production
This dissertation provides updating findings to innovation studies, which explicitly underpins the role of cultural values in sustainable innovation from Macro and Micro perspectives. The first two papers discussed cultural values at a Macro level while the third and fourth papers revealed the impact of cultural values on adoption of sustainable innovation at a Micro level specifically from consumer and producer perspectives.
This cumulative dissertation investigates the newly emerged phenomenon of customer success management (CSM). CSM has received a significant amount of attention from academics and practitioners alike. However, the body of academic literature is still in its infancy, especially when comparing CSM’s relevance to the field of relationship marketing.
Manuscript 1: Zakrzewski, K., Krause, V., Pfaff, C. & Seidenstricker, S. (2023). Is customer success management a new relationship marketing practice? A review, definition, and future research agenda based on practice theory.
Manuscript 2: Zakrzewski, K., Krause, V., Eberl, D. & Rangarajan, D. (2023). Dynamic & proactive segmentation of post-sale customer relationships in B2B subscription settings: The customer health score.
Manuscript 3: Zakrzewski, K. (2023). Customer success management - closing a capability gap in the customer-focused structure toward customer centricity in B2B service contexts.
The first manuscript adopts a new approach to the investigation of CSM, providing a practice-based definition that distinguishes CSM from other relationship marketing constructs. By utilizing the 3 Ps framework of practice theory (praxis, practices, and practitioners), the definition of CSM as a strategic function was refined. In addition, the second manuscript utilized praxis to develop the customer health score, which can be used as an indicator for the dynamic and proactive segmentation of customers. The third manuscript builds on this functional definition to show how CSM’s organizational embeddedness can help overcome barriers to customer centricity by enabling adaptive organizational capability.
Eine von Dienstleistungen getragene Wachstumsstrategie ist ein weit verbreitetes, jedoch selten erreichtes Ziel von Industriegüteranbietern. Gebauer et al. (2005) beschreiben den Umstand, dass Dienstleistungsstrategien die an sie gerichteten Erwartungen in vielen Fällen nicht erfüllen, mit dem Begriff des „Service Paradox“. Bisherige Forschungsansätze untersuchen dieses Phänomen ausschließlich aus Anbietersicht. Die vorliegende Studie befasst sich hingegen mit den Determinanten des Bedarfs an produktbegleitenden Dienstleistungen aus Kundensicht.
Hierbei wurde zunächst mittels einer qualitativen Interviewstudie ein theoretischer Rahmen geschaffen. Darauf aufbauend wurden unter Anwendung des situativen Ansatzes, des Ressourcenabhängigkeitsansatzes sowie der sozialen Austauschtheorie Hypothesen entwickelt, welche mittels einer quantitativen Studie überprüft wurden.
Die Ergebnisse der Arbeit liefern wichtige Erkenntnisse zur Dienstleistungsforschung. So wurden zunächst mit der Eigenständigkeit des Absatzobjektes, der Planbarkeit und der Regelmäßigkeit des Bedarfs sowie der Notwendigkeit des Langzeiteinsatzes von Mitarbeitern vier aus Kundensicht relevante Typologisierungscharakteristika identifiziert. Anhand dieser Kriterien konnte eine neue Typologie entwickelt werden, die produktbegleitende Dienstleistungen in Vorbetriebsdienstleistungen, Optimierungsleistungen, präventive sowie reaktive Dienstleistungen und Betreiberleistungen unterteilt.
Bezüglich des Einflusses des Herstellers auf die Dienstleistungsbedarfe der Kunden legen die Erkenntnisse nahe, dass dieser von Forschern wie auch von Praktikern überschätzt wird. So zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass der direkte Einfluss des Herstellers auf die Dienstleistungsbedarfe ihrer Kunden sehr begrenzt ist und sich auch stark bezüglich der betrachteten Dienstleistungstypen unterscheidet. So zeigt sich lediglich für Optimierungsleistungen ein signifikanter Einfluss von anbieterseitigen Investitionen in die Geschäftsbeziehung, während für die anderen betrachteten Dienstleistungstypen kein direkter Einfluss auf die Dienstleistungsbedarfe nachgewiesen werden kann. Es kann zudem nachgewiesen werden, dass die Dienstleistungsbedarfe überwiegend durch kundenseitige Determinanten bestimmt werden, auf welche der Hersteller nur indirekt Einfluss nehmen kann. Insbesondere zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass das für die Aufrechterhaltung der Produktion des Kunden notwendige implizite Wissen einen sehr bedeutenden Einfluss auf die Unternehmenskultur und somit letztlich auf die Dienstleistungsbedarfe der Kunden hat. Aus den Erkenntnissen lässt sich schließen, dass seitens der Kunden ein Grundbedarf an zumeist klassischen produktbegleitenden Dienstleistungen wie Wartungen und Reparaturen besteht, der sich zumeist aus Abhängigkeitsbeziehungen und internen Ressourcenengpässen ergibt. Dieser Bedarf lässt sich seitens der Hersteller mit minimalem Vertriebsaufwand und unter geringem Preisdruck bedienen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen ferner, dass neben der Abhängigkeit die Wahrnehmung des Kosten-Nutzen-Verhältnisses seitens der Kunden der wichtigste Einflussfaktor auf deren Dienstleistungsbedarfe ist. Demnach muss ein über den Grundbedarf der Kunden hinausgehendes Dienstleistungswachstum oft „erkauft“ werden, worin eine Erklärung für das Auftreten des „Service Paradox“ gesehen werden kann.
This cumulative dissertation consists of five contributions considering different research questions in the field of multi- and omni-channel retailing and retail logistics.
The first contribution provides an overview of the areas of multi- and omni-channel retail logistics which have already been explored up to and including the year 2015. The focus is on empirical research published in academic journals. The findings are used to derive future areas of research which are addressed in the remainder of this dissertation.
The focus of the contributions 2 and 3 is on retailing with non-perishable goods (non-food retailing). On the one hand, the transition from a channel-specific and thus separated multi-channel logistics system towards a channel-integrated omni-channel logistics system is described and analyzed (contribution 2). On the other hand, retailers who have put time and effort into the integration of their sales channels are striving to use their integrated channels as best as possible, too. Because of the higher sales generated by customers on multiple channels, retailers steer their customers through the channels and use specific methods for order processing and logistics to their advantage (contribution 3).
Contributions 4 and 5 are especially concerned with food retailing on multiple distribution channels. On the one hand, a framework for the delivery of grocery on the last mile to the customer is presented (contribution 4) and on the other hand a supply-chain-wide perspective is taken in order to pinpoint logistics networks and network structures for different geographic regions and order volumes in omni-channel grocery retailing (contribution 5).
With this cumulative dissertation unexplored research in the field of multi- and omni-channel retail logistics is addressed. The overall contribution of this work is to analyze and solve challenges faced by retailers in terms of logistical integration and handling of multiple channels. Both the retail context (food and non-food) as well as a specific topic within this context are focused. In addition, value is added for practitioners in retail enterprises by depicting concrete recommendations in each of the individual contributions. By publishing in international academic journals the research results are made accessible to a broad readership and thus help to understand and solve logistical challenges in dealing with multiple channels in a retail company.
In many countries today, a rising life expectancy and the associated demographic shift, coupled with the advancements of modern medicine, has fueled an ever-increasing cost pressure on healthcare systems. A driving factor for these rising costs can be seen in inpatient stays in hospitals that in many cases are connected to cost-intensive treatments. A central concern of any hospital management in such an environment is therefore to understand how to make the best possible use of available resources. A decisive factor in this regard is the management of bed capacities.
The present cumulative dissertation comprises four contributions, which address
open research questions in the field of strategic, tactical and operative bed planning:
1 Walther, M., 2020. Strategical, tactical, and operational aspects of bed
planning problems in hospital environments. Submission planned to
Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
2 Hübner, A., Kuhn, H., Walther, M., 2018. Combining clinical departments
and wards in maximum-care hospitals. OR Spectrum 40, 679-709
3 Schäfer, F., Walther, M., Hübner, A., Kuhn, H., 2019. Operational
patient-bed assignment problem in large hospital settings including overflow
and uncertainty management. Flexible Services and Manufacturing
Journal 31, 1012–1041
4 Schäfer, F., Walther, M., Hübner, A., Grimm, D., 2020. Machine learning
and pilot method: tackling uncertainty in the operational patient-bed
assignment problem. Submitted to OR Spectrum on 13 February 2020
The first contribution sets out to provide an overview over the different hierarchical planning levels on which bed planning problems may be addressed. It should be noted in this context that several different aspects may be combined under the collective term “bed planning”. These may be delimited in terms of their scope and their planning horizon. A frequently used taxonomy in this context is the hierarchical subdivision of typical problems in health care into strategical, tactical and operational levels as provided by Hulshof et al. (2012). In the context of bed planning, a typical strategical problem is how to combine departments and wards to obtain benefits from pooled ward capacity. On a tactical level, an exemplary problem setting related to bed planning can be seen in devising master surgery schedules that optimize downstream bed occupancy levels as patients returning from surgery will require a bed for post-surgical recovery and monitoring. Finally,
on an operational level, patient-bed allocations need to be optimized while taking the objectives and constraints of patients and medical staff alike into account.
To start, the second contribution deals with the strategical problem of combining departments into groups and assigning pooled ward capacity to these groups with the goal of balancing bed occupancy levels within a hospital. Specifically, one of the underlying goals is to minimize the amount of beds required to meet a predetermined service level. However, merging ward capacities with the aim of simultaneously accommodating patients from different medical departments increases the complexity of organizing and ensuring proper care for these patients. This leads to so-called pooling costs. To tackle this problem, a modeling and solution approach is developed which is based on a generalized partitioning problem and is solved by integer
linear programming (ILP). This enables hospital management to determine the cost-optimal combination of all departments and wards in a hospital, while ensuring that predetermined thresholds with regard to maximum
walking distances for doctors and patients are adhered to.
Once pooled ward capacities are established, the solution space for allocating incoming patients to beds is greatly increased and the underlying allocation problem quickly becomes too complex to be handled without computational support. In this regard the third contribution ties in with the second contribution in that it deals with optimizing the operational patient-bed allocation problem. In order to enable optimal allocation of patients to beds, it is important to identify and take into account the individual needs and
limitations of the three main stakeholders involved, namely patients, doctors, and nursing staff. All of these stakeholders exhibit different and sometimes contradicting objectives and constraints, such that a trade-off has to be made that maximizes the overall utility for the hospital. In addition, the complexity of the problem is increased by the high volatility and uncertainty regarding patient arrivals, types of illnesses, and the resulting remaining lengths of stay of newly arriving patients. In order to address this situation,
a mathematical model and solution approach for the patient-bed allocation problem is developed that is designed to generate solutions for large, real-life operative planning situations. In addition to being able to deal with overflow situations, this solution approach further takes different patient types into account, for example by anticipating emergency patient arrivals.
Finally, the fourth contribution builds on the third contribution in that the modeling and solution approach to allocate patients to beds is extended by several aspects. As mentioned above, hospitals have to deal with uncertainty regarding the actual demand for beds. Here, the fourth contribution improves the anticipation of emergency patients by using machine learning. Specifically, weather data, seasons, important local and regional events, and current and historical occupancy rates are combined to better anticipate emergency inpatient arrivals. In addition, a hyper-heuristic approach is developed based on the pilot method defined by Voß et al. (2005). By combining the improved anticipation of emergency patients with this hyperheuristic approach significant improvements can be achieved compared to the solution approach presented in the third contribution.
Diese kumulative Dissertation beschäftigt sich konzeptionell als auch methodisch mit Fragestellungen, die im Rahmen der Zustellung auf der letzten Meile auftreten. Auf konzeptioneller Ebene werden innovative Ansätze für die letzte Meile vorgestellt und bewertet (Beitrag 1 und 4). Auf methodischer Ebene wird zum einen ein etabliertes Verfahren auf eine neue Problemstellung hin angepasst (Beitrag 4), zum anderen eine neuartige Metaheuristik vorgestellt und auf neue bzw. mehrere bekannte Probleme angewandt (Beitrag 1, 2 und 3).
Der erste Beitrag entwickelt einen innovativen, datengetriebenen Ansatz zur Reduzierung fehlgeschlagener Zustellversuche, indem das Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) um Verfügbarkeitsprofile erweitert wird. Außerdem wird eine neuartige Metaheuristik, die sog. Hybrid Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (HALNS) vorgestellt und deren Performance analysiert. Die HALNS wird im zweiten Beitrag weiter entwickelt, sodass mehrere Varianten von VRPs mit Standortentscheidungen hinsichtlich der Depots gelöst werden können. Zu diesen Varianten zählen das 2-Echelon VRP, das Location Routing Problem sowie das Multi-Depot VRP. Der dritte Beitrag zeigt die Praxistauglichkeit der HALNS im Rahmen der Amazon Routing Research Challenge. Ziel der Challenge war es, gute Routen zu erzeugen, die außerdem der reellen Fahrweise der Fahrer möglichst nahe kommen. Der vierte Beitrag entwickelt einen innovativen Ansatz, basierend auf der Sharing Economy für die Zustellung auf der letzten Meile. Hierbei besteht die Möglichkeit sog. Gelegenheitskuriere, z.B. Pendler, für die Zustellung einzusetzen. Zur besseren Integration dieser Gelegenheitskuriere können zusätzliche Standorte, genauer Umschlagpunkte (Transshipment Points, TPs), genutzt werden.
Abstract paper 1:
This paper examines how service firms (i.e., car dealers) should manage the remedy for a recalled vehicle, specifically the timing of the repair and the message on its outcome. Drawing on the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM), we consider the repair for a recalled product as a protective action and propose a central role of customers' risk concerns for managing this process. Across multiple studies (including interviews with car dealers, archival data, and experiments with car owners), we show that firms' service processes are not well-aligned with these concerns. Regarding the timing, firms often delay the repair service until the next regular inspection for convenience, while customers prefer an immediate repair if they perceive a high risk and if risk exposure time (time until next inspection) is long. Regarding the outcome message, firms often communicate a benefit such as a value increase (a camouflage signal), which is ineffective. Instead, customers' satisfaction and loyalty with the service firm are increased by communicating a risk reduction (a need signal), mediated by perceived credibility. We recommend that service firms should let customers choose the timing for the repair and frame its outcome as a risk reduction, rather than concealing it as a benefit.
Abstract paper 2:
This paper examines the remedial effect of complaint process recovery (CPR) on customer outcomes (trust and repatronage intentions) after double deviations. CPR refers to improvements in complaint-handling processes aimed at avoiding another recovery failure. Drawing on the stereotype content model, we propose that CPR communication (i.e., informing customers about the improved complaint-handling processes after a double deviation) and CPR verification (i.e., providing evidence of these improvements when customers experience another service failure) foster repatronage intentions, serially mediated by perceived competence and trust. Further, it is proposed that CPR communication reinforces the latter mediation effect. Findings from one scenario-based experiment and two longitudinal field experiments support these hypotheses. Further, the effects of CPR communication and verification are robust across different levels of perceived failure severity and across strong- vs. weak-relationship customers. As a major managerial takeaway, firms learn how to signal their competence and remedy a double deviation, even when accepting and admitting that service failures can reoccur.
Abstract paper 3:
Purpose:
This paper examines how customer expectations of service quality change if a service provider is forced to adapt its service provision due to the social distancing rules applied during pandemic times.
Design/methodology/approach: This research draws on the concept of zone of tolerance for service quality, using field data to determine the zones of tolerance for different service quality dimensions in traditional and adapted service settings for mass events. Customers’ zones of tolerance are compared through repeated measures analyses of variance. Further, the effect of perceived service quality on customer outcomes (i.e., satisfaction with the adapted service and repatronage intention after the pandemic) is examined through a mediation analysis, with usage frequency as the mediating variable.
Findings: This paper shows that customers’ zones of tolerance narrow following service adaptations, which can be explained by rising expectations of minimum tolerable service levels. If the perceived service exceeds this lower threshold of the zone of tolerance, customers show higher satisfaction with the adapted service. Additionally, satisfaction with the adapted service has a positive effect on repatronage intention for the traditional service (i.e., after the pandemic), mediated by usage frequency of the adapted service.
Originality: The topic of service adaption is examined from a customer point of view.
Practical implications: The findings of this study provide important implications for service providers about how to handle service adaption during times of social distancing.
Die Beiträge befassen sich mit logistischen Fragestellungen im stationären Lebensmitteleinzelhandel (LEH). Es werden logistische Netzwerke und die entsprechenden Warenflüsse empirisch untersucht und strukturiert sowie korrespondierende logistische Planungsprozesse analysiert und weiterentwickelt.
Der erste Beitrag “Integrative retail logistics: An exploratory study” bildet ein explorativ-empirisches Fundament, auf dem alle weiteren Beiträge aufsetzen. Die Durchführung und Analyse von 28 leitfadengestützen Interviews liefert eine Vielzahl von relevanten Erkenntnissen über logistische Netzwerkstrukturen und integrative Planungsprobleme im LEH, die in die weiteren Beiträge einfließen und auf deren Basis die Optimierungsansätze entwickelt werden. Ein spezifisches Charakteristikum von Lieferketten im LEH ist die horizontale Segmentierung der Warenströme nach unterschiedlichen Dimensionen und Kriterien oder Kombinationen von Kriterien. Der zweite Beitrag liefert basierend auf den empirischen Ergebnissen eine tiefergehende Beschreibung des Segmentierungsansatzes im LEH und der damit verbundenen Planungs- und Entscheidungsprozesse sowie deren Zusammenhang mit der logistischen Effizienz in den Teilsystemen der Lieferkette. Sowohl die aus der Segmentierung resultierenden Planungsaufgaben als auch die empirisch in Beitrag 1 identifizierten Planungsprobleme finden Eingang in die “Demand and Supply Chain Planungsmatrix” (Beitrag 3), die ein ganzheitliches und strukturiertes Rahmenwerk darstellt, in dem die einzelnen logistischen Planungsprobleme abgebildet sind und ihre Zusammenhänge transparent werden. Dieses erarbeitete Gesamtbild der logistischen Strukturen und der logistischen Planung im LEH bildet die Grundlage für den Vergleich mit der Automobilindustrie in Beitrag 4. Das Ergebnis wiederum liefert Ansatzpunkte für eine Optimierung der Logistikplanung. Sowohl die empirische Untersuchung im LEH als auch der Vergleich mit der Automobilindustrie legen nahe, dass die Filiallogistik stärker und besser als in der Vergangenheit in logistische Kalküle integriert werden muss, um ein höheres Effektivitäts- und Effizienzniveau zu erreichen. Die Beiträge 5 und 6 greifen daher zwei Optimierungsansätze auf, die in den Beiträgen 1 und 4 als für die Filiallogistik besonders relevant identifiziert wurden. In Beitrag 5 wird ein Bewertungs- und Optimierungsmodell zur Selektion filialorientierter Versandgebindegrößen entwickelt. Beitrag 6 liefert einen ganzheitlich integrativen Ansatz zur Bestimmung von Filialbelieferungsmustern, der sowohl die Prozesse in den Verteilzentren und im Transport als auch in der Filiale integriert.
This dissertation comprises three empirical studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The first study examines how an exogenous increase in agency problems affects CSR investment decisions. The second study examines whether the value relevance of CSR reporting is affected by customer profile differences. The third study examines how national culture shapes several fundamental corporate decisions determining the credibility of CSR reports. Collectively, the three studies provide novel and holistic evidence on why managers pursue CSR.
1. Steindl, T., Hellmann, A. and Goettsche M. 2017. Building a social empire? Managerial preferences, shareholder litigation, and corporate social responsibility. Working Paper.
2. Goettsche, M., Steindl T. and Gietl S. 2016. Do customers affect the value relevance of corporate social responsibility reporting? Empirical evidence on stakeholder interdependence. Business Strategy and the Environment 25(3): 149-164.
3. Steindl, T. 2017. Cultural rule orientation, legal institutions, and the credibility of corporate social responsibility reports. Working Paper.