Demographischer Wandel und dessen Auswirkungen auf den Energieverbrauch in Hamburg und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

This study estimates the impact of demographic change on energy use in two German regions, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Data from the EVS household survey are used to identify demographic characteristics and age-specific consumption patterns in the two regions. They are used in combination with regional household projections to construct consumption expenditure forecasts, which are then entered as demand impulses into regional input-out-put models to calculate sectoral production effects and energy use. The analysis shows that the impact of demographic change on energy use differs considerably between the two regions. Therefore, studies conducted at the national level may miss important effects, making it necessary to conduct more studies at the regional level.     

Markenkommunikation 2.0 — Konsumenten formen Markenbotschaften

Zusammenfassung  Hoch involvierte Konsumenten agieren zunehmend als Sender von Markenbotschaften. Sie m?chten an markenpolitischen Fragestellungen partizipieren. Aus diesem Wunsch resultieren durch die ausgepr?gte soziale Vernetzung und die Entkopplung der Kommunikation neue Herausforderungen für die Kommunikationspolitik. Denn die konsumenteninitiierte Kommunikation birgt durchaus Gefahren, die vom Unternehmen rechtzeitig gemanagt werden sollten. Die Chance, von der Meinung ihrer Konsumenten zu profitieren, nutzen bislang noch zu wenige Unternehmen. Prof. Dr. Tobias Langner Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Betriebswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Marketing, an der Bergischen Universit?t Wuppertal sowie wissenschaftlicher Direktor des Instituts für Marken- und Kommunikationsforschung, Bergische Universit?t Wuppertal Dipl.-Kfm. Alexander Fischer Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Lehrstuhl für Betriebswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Marketing, an der Bergischen Universit?t Wuppertal     

The impact of demographic change on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Germany

This paper estimates the impact of demographic change on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. Since old people display different consumption patterns than young people, an increase in the proportion of old people affects overall consumption patterns. Micro data from a household survey are used to identify age-specific consumption patterns and to project the impact of demographic change on the structure of total consumption expenditure up to the year 2030. The resulting final demand vectors are entered into an environmental input-output model, which allows the calculation of sectoral production, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The model results suggest that until 2030, demographic change raises the share of methane in total greenhouse gas emissions and does not contribute to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. The model is also used to explore the effects of redistributing income between age groups and a policy-induced switch from motor vehicle use to public transport.     

The need for services and technologies in physical fast fashion stores: Generation Y’s opinion

ABSTRACT

This study answers the question of in which services and technologies should fast fashion retailers with physical stores invest. Fifteen improvement options were identified through a literature review, corporate practice and expert interviews. Then, a sample of 255 members of Generation Y evaluated and classified these options as attractive, indifferent, must-be, one-dimensional, or reverse according to Kano’s approach using the segmented Kano perspective. Results show that Generation Y generally values service improvements (e.g. with respect to salesperson friendliness and competence) higher than technology improvements. However, this evaluation differs among customer segments: whereas quality-conscious fast fashion shoppers are mainly indifferent to technology improvements, other customer segments rate ‘3D Bodyscan’, ‘Barcode App’, ‘Click&Collect’, ‘iDressroom’, ‘iTerminal’, ‘Loc Aware App’, or ‘Self-Checkout’ as highly attractive.     

Rezensionen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Das Web als Fenster zum Kunden - Neue Regeln für neue Insights

Mit dem Paradigmenwechsel im Internet hin zu partizipativ angelegten Internetangeboten ergeben sich neue Chancen für eine bedürfnisgerichtete Marktforschung. Die Analyse der intrinsisch motivierten Beitr?ge von Verbrauchern in Blogs und Communities erlaubt einen neuen Zugang zu den tats?chlichen Episoden und Ritualen im t?glichen Leben der Kunden. So ergibt sich die M?glichkeit einer „netnografischen“ Identifikation von latenten Bedürfnissen. Eine systematische Herangehensweise liefert authentische Customer Insights.     

Resource Configuration in Family Firms: Linking Resources, Strategic Planning and Technological Opportunities to Performance

abstract    We apply the resource-based view of the firm to the study of family firms by investigating how a family specific resource (reciprocal altruism) and a firm specific resource (innovative capacity) contribute to family firm performance. We then examine how the impact of these resources is moderated by strategic planning and technological opportunities. Our findings suggest that family firms can benefit from emphasizing the positive aspects of kinship and from developing innovative capacities. As such, we demonstrate that not only do firm specific resources contribute to family firm performance, but also that family relationships can be a source of competitive advantage for a family firm. In addition, we found a heightened importance of reciprocal altruism in environments rich in technological opportunities, and that strategic planning is more important for those family firms that lack innovative capacities.     

The uncompromising leader

Managing the tension between performance and people is at the heart of the CEO's job. But CEOs under fierce pressure from capital markets often focus solely on the shareholder, which can lead to employee disenchantment. Others put so much stock in their firms' heritage that they don't notice as their organizations slide into complacency. Some leaders, though, manage to avoid those traps and create high-commitment, high-performance (HCHP) companies. The authors' in-depth research of HCHP CEOs reveals several shared traits: These CEOs earn the trust of their organizations through their openness to the unvarnished truth. They are deeply engaged with their people, and their exchanges are direct and personal. They mobilize employees around a focused agenda, concentrating on only one or two initiatives. And they work to build collective leadership capabilities. These leaders also forge an emotionally resonant shared purpose across their companies. That consists of a three-part promise: The company will help employees build a better world and deliver performance they can be proud of, and will provide an environment in which they can grow. HCHP CEOs approach finding a firm's moral and strategic center in a competitive market as a calling, not an engineering problem. They drive their firms to be strongly market focused while at the same time reinforcing their firms' core values. They are committed to short-term performance while also investing in long-term leadership and organizational capabilities. By refusing to compromise on any of these terms, they build great companies.     

Prävention und Management von Staatsinsolvenzen in der Europäischen Währungsunion

Der Umgang mit den Schuldenkrisen in einigen Eurol?ndern steht derzeit ganz oben auf der Tagesordnung der EWU-Gremien. Der Rettungsschirm zur aktuellen Krisenbew?ltigung ist allerdings bis 2013 befristet. Danach sollte ein dauerhafter Krisenpr?ventions- und Krisenmanagementmechanismus eingesetzt werden. Wie ein solcher Mechanismus zu gestalten ist, erl?utern die Autoren in diesem Beitrag.