Determinanten der Strom-und Gaspreisentwicklung in Deutschland — Eine empirische Bestandsaufnahme für die Jahre 1998 bis 2007

The price worthy supply of energy is an indispensable requirement for growth and employment in highly industrialized countries as Germany. For energy intensive production processes — with limited opportunities to accomplish efficiency gains or substitute fuel — energy prices and costs are important determinants for competitiveness. But the other manufacturing sectors and households too, are affected by these high energy costs respectively expenditures, which result in real production losses or correspondingly in cutting back expenditures for non-energetic consumer goods. In view of the strongly increased level of energy prices — the price for crude oil hit the historic peak of $121 per barrel in May 2008 — especially grid bound energy sources as electricity and gas are in focus of the public. A recent study of the EEFA research institute illustrates the determinants of the development of electricity and gas prices in Germany from 1998 to 2007.     

EU-Investitionsförderung für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen in Südeuropa: empfehlenswert?

The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has repeatedly pointed out that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face major constraints to access to credit and that removing these constraints could contribute to reducing unemployment. According to press reports, the new president of the EU Commission and even the European Central Bank are also considering low-cost loans for national banks if they provide credit for SMEs. It is argued theoretically and empirically that single-firm investment support does not address the causes of high unemployment and, due to the difficulty in monitoring, could result in great inefficiencies.     

Darstellung und Abgrenzung des deutschen Versicherungsvermittlungsmarktes

Insurance intermediation is mostly known as a distribution entity of insurance companies. Therefore only limited research has focused on German insurance intermediaries as an independent market. The business of insurance intermediaries can not only be limited on selling policies, they also offer other services to policyholders. The aim of this paper is threefold. First, we explain the structure as well as the legal and the fiscal characteristics within the insurance intermediation market. Second, we describe the business of German intermediaries. Third, we show that this market can be defined as an independent market.     

Reciprocal Effects of the Corporate Reputation and Store Equity of Retailers

Retailers aim to strengthen their ability to influence consumer behavior by building corporate reputation and store equity: for instance, by making promotional investments. However, little is known about the directionality of consumers’ corporate and store associations, that is, how reciprocal relationships between consumers’ perceptions of corporate reputation and store equity affect store loyalty. To illuminate this issue, we draw upon a study with a cross-sectional design and two studies with longitudinal designs. We find that retail store equity interacts with corporate reputation and is a more important driver of increased loyalty than corporate reputation. We conclude that retailers should pay attention to reciprocal effects, especially in determining the relative allocation of investments across corporate and store levels.     

The importance of retail brand equity and store accessibility for store loyalty in local competition

Previous research shows that the success of a retailer depends on strong retail brands and attractive, easily accessible store locations. However, little is known about the relative importance of retail brand equity and store accessibility for store loyalty in different local competitive contexts. To provide insight into this issue, we conduct on a cross-sectional study of 4151 interviews and objective data on 30 stores of a focal retailer and its local competitors. We find that store loyalty benefits more from a strong brand than from a conveniently accessible location and that location can benefit from a strong brand. We also find that competitor’s brand equity has an especially negative influence on store loyalty towards a focal retailer and that the strength of the effects of brand equity and location accessibility on store loyalty depends on the local competitive context.     

Lohnt eine Kooperation von Controllerbereich und Innenrevision?

Die Diskussion der Schnittstelle zwischen Controllerbereich und Innenrevision hat eine lange Tradition, die jüngst durch die Regelungen zur Corporate Governance eine neue Dynamik erfuhr. Zwar stellen in diesem Kontext zahlreiche Arbeiten das Potenzial einer Zusammenarbeit der beiden Akteure heraus, jedoch ist die theoretische und insbesondere empirische Durchdringung dieses Themenkomplexes bisher nur unzureichend erfolgt. Dieser Beitrag untersucht erstmals empirisch die Wirkung kooperativen Verhaltens der beiden Akteure auf die Ergebnisqualität der Controllerleistungen. Dabei konnte festgestellt werden, dass die Kooperation von Controllerbereich und Innenrevision positiv auf beide Teildimensionen der Controllerleistungen (Führungsunterstützung und Rationalitätssicherung) wirkt.     

Determining the parameters of statistical tests by fuzzy constraints

In this paper an approach is presented how to determine the parameters of statistical tests by means of fuzzy constraints on the probabilities of the errors of type I and of type II and on the sample size; here the case of single sampling is considered. A general upper bound for the sample size of an optimal test is derived. Furthermore, the approach is illustrated by two applications: the determination of an optimal one-sided Gauß-test and the determination of an optimal test on a fraction particularly important in acceptance sampling.