Institut für Marketing & Management

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Innovation und Standardsetzungskompetenz auf global integrierten Märkten
(2012) Slowak, André P.; Gerybadze, Alexander
Within this PhD thesis, we examine the interrelationship between joint innovation projects and standard setting for industry standards. This is a field of innovation research as well as research on the economics of standards that has been sadly neglected up to now. We investigate the core issue regarding what functions of system integration are fulfilled by industry standards for product systems and large systems. We define a product system as a set of components which achieve an essential functionality only in concert, but which the end user can still recognise as individual components. An architectural respective systemic standard dissects a joint technical system of standard setting partners into physical components and works in such a way that those system elements are simultaneously a) mutually compatible, b) mutually independent to as great an extent as possible and c) function in a variety of configurations. The automotive industry and industrial automation resorts to member layer models as a new type of organisation for standard setting partnerships/communities. A large number of members, dovetailing of joint innovation projects and structures aimed at rapid diffusion of standards set this type of organisation apart from conventional industry/standard setting consortia. Excellent standard governance is necessary in order to enable incumbents to establish dominant designs worldwide. We examine the cases of AUTOSAR, GENIVI and PROFIBUS in empirical case studies. In order to explain how standards are organised strategically, we deduce a configuration audit from the existing literature. Among other things, this thesis addresses exclusion from participation in standard setting, exclusion from access to specifications, the ownership of standards, IPR policies, the time reference of specifications with regard to dominant design, and standard setting methods (modular vs. integral). Furthermore, we describe the cultural differences between the German and the Japanese automotive industries in their approaches to project organisation in the pre-competition stage. We observe a geographic exclusion mechanism for the electro-mobility charging interface and/or in the case of CHAdeMO and in the user organisations of industrial automation: innovation activities are conducted in the country of origin. At the same time, R&D driven product competition involving the battery as the core component as well as standard setting competition for the charging interface to the battery is taking place in the emerging market for electric cars. The German OEMs are trying to establish their AC/DC combo charging system primarily through international formal standardisation. The Japanese industry is attempting to establish its DC charging system via the global market by way of the CHAdeMO standard setting partnership. The electro-mobility sector clearly demonstrates how industry is implementing a gradual system expansion starting on the basis of core components in order to offer solutions together with partners and not merely isolated products. We understand system expansion to mean step-by-step expansion of a product system: starting on the basis of core components, through integration of the suppliers of an incumbent (system integrator) into standard development, and also including integration of suppliers of complementary goods & peripheral system components. The integration of the latter means establishing a (large) innovation ecosystem. By contrast, the pigments and paint sector does not make use of any new type of organisation in the pre-competition stage. In that industry, innovation occurs within bilateral co-operation arrangements at the interface between two stages of the value-added chain. According to our accompanying observations, its formal standardisation activities primarily serve to prepare for new regulations, to influence them or to harmonise measurement methods among manufacturers. In our case studies, we observe system dynamics in multiple stages in conjunction with standard setting. We have depicted those dynamics in a system dynamics model. Our modelling is suitable as a starting point for simulation or agent-based approaches to standard setting for product systems. Moreover, future studies should describe additional cases from other business sectors where systemic innovation and standard setting are mutually interlinked as well. Technology leaders should try to dominate interfaces or core components of products systems on an industry-wide basis. In the pre-competition stage, it is possible to purposely exploit technical leadership in order to later on establish overall concepts through systemic standards.
Kundenwertorientierung von Mitarbeitern : Implementierungstreiber und Erfolgsauswirkungen
(2012) Munk, Steffen; Hadwich, Karsten
Although it is widely recognized that customer value orientation (CVO) can be a source of competitive advantage, marketers often struggle to implement such a strategy. A main implementation barrier is that employees do not know how to implement the CVO in their day-to-day business. The analysis of the CVO of employees is based on a cross-industry survey of 260 customer equity managers. The author describes two dimensions of employees? CVO and analyses relevant implementation drivers and outcomes.
Lokale Serviceorientierung von Tochtergesellschaften internationaler Unternehmen : theoretische Entwicklung und empirische Analyse
(2012) Bothe, Stephanie; Hadwich, Karsten
Although the relevance to align international companies with services is without debate, there is no research on service orientation in an international business context. Due to that serious research lack this study aims to develop an understanding of what service orientation in subsidiaries is and to generate management implications how to implement service orientation in a subsidiary. Based on the grounded theory approach, twenty-two interviews with managers of subsidiaries were conducted. The resulting understanding of service orientation as well as its relations with antecedents and its consequences have been validated in a quantitative study of 223 subsidiaries. The results show that service orientation in a subsidiary leads to service-oriented employee behavior and relationship commitment of its customers, which both influence the economic success of the subsidiary. These causal relations are independent of external factors, e. g. the cultural and physical distances between the subsidiary and its global head office, which do not have any significant moderating effect. This dissertation filled in a serious research gap in marketing science and gives guidance to managers how to implement service orientation in a subsidiary.
Das Publikationsverhalten deutschsprachiger Marketing-Wissenschaftler – eine empirische Analyse auf Basis bibliometrischer Vergleichsstudien
(2012) Loos, Jeanette; Voeth, Markus
Journal based publication performance got essential for German speaking business and marketing scientists in recent years and gain raising influence in a variety of academic processes like promotion or tenure decisions. The growing relevance of journal publications is based on transformation processes taking place in German speaking science which are driven by the influence of political decisions, economic developments, technological factors, but also by individual attitudes and which lead to an increasing internationalization of scientific research in the field of German speaking business administration. The progression internationalization not only influences the Germany speaking business administration research landscape as a whole, but changes publication patterns of scholars in this field as scientists are forced to publish their research internationally to keep up in the international scientific reputation competition. Due to these developments, many scholars especially in the field of marketing have adjusted their publication patterns and started to publish first and foremost articles in (international) journals. In line with this, the demand of scientific journals as publication outlet has increased significantly in recent years. Taking the example of business administration there can be found more than 1.000 journals nowadays, an amount which leads to the fact, that scientists are no longer able to know all journals relevant for their field of research. As this knowledge is essential to on the one hand judge the quality of the research output of colleagues, and on the other hand to manage one?s individual publication performance, journal rankings as an indicator of different journal quality gained increasing relevance in most business administration disciplines in Germany. These rankings either define the quality of journals based on the judgment of peers, or use bibliometric measures determine the differences in quality of single journals. Likewise, journal rankings represent an instrument to analyze publication patterns of a scientific discipline, as well as the research performance of single scholars. In the field of German speaking business administration there meanwhile exist two journal rankings ? the JOURQUAL-Ranking of the German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB) and the Handelsblatt-Ranking of Business Administration journals ? which could be used to analyze and explain publication patterns. Due to the fact that both rankings are adapted from US or UK journal quality standards and focus on determining the quality of general business journals, they don?t represent an adequate measure for the publication patterns of a specific German speaking scientific community like the marketing discipline. Based on the fact, that studies focusing on the publication patterns of German speaking marketing scholars are still missing and this community is lacking its own specific journal ranking, this discipline is suffering from the absence of a profound comprehension of its own publication patterns. This research work is closing this gap by identifying the constitutive characteristics of the publication pattern of the German speaking marketing discipline.
Toward a configurational understanding of entrepreneurship using qualitative comparative analysis
(2016) Berger, Elisabeth S. C.; Kuckertz, Andreas
This doctoral thesis aims to promote a configurational understanding of entrepreneurship by showing the potential challenges involved in applying qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) as a research method to study complex phenomena in entrepreneurship. In order to achieve this aim, the thesis presents four empirical studies, each of which has been presented repeatedly at scientific conferences and been developed further based on experts’ comments at presentations and from reviews. Three of the studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals or edited volumes and the fourth study is currently under review. The introduction of the thesis establishes the link between complexity and entrepreneurship and argues that the discipline can benefit from a configurational perspective. This also requires research designs to consider methods that can embrace characteristics of complexity such as the irreducibility of elements, interdependencies, non-proportionality and dynamics. QCA is a promising research method originating from political science, which facilitates dealing with complex phenomena. In the first study titled Is Qualitative Comparative Analysis an Emerging Method? – Structured Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of QCA Applications in Business & Management Research, I present a structured literature review which studies the state of the art of the application of QCA in business and management and conveys the particularities of the research method. Among the 96 reviewed articles, ten articles might be assigned to entrepreneurship, but those have so far not included analysis on a country level, rarely introduced other methods, or used larger sample sizes. Three studies then apply QCA as a research method intending to show the benefits of adopting a configurational approach to entrepreneurship both at a macro and a micro level. In the second study titled What drives entrepreneurship? A configurational analysis of the determinants of entrepreneurship in innovation-driven economies, QCA is applied to analyze the configurations of institutional frameworks across 23 innovation-driven economies that foster high levels of opportunity-driven and necessity-driven entrepreneurship. By applying fsQCA for the cross-country comparison, the study moves from focusing on one construct to embracing the complexity of all three dimensions. Apart from revealing the causal conjuncture between conditions explaining entrepreneurial activity, it also shows that for entrepreneurial activity causation needs to be understood as equifinal and asymmetric. In the third study titled The more the merrier? Economic freedom and entrepreneurial activity I ask how elements of economic freedom need to be designed in economies in order to foster entrepreneurial activity. This study illustrates the asset of applying QCA in a cross-country setting. Despite small sample sizes, the study identifies patterns of the configurations of economic freedom that explain high or low levels of entrepreneurial activity. The results also stress the aspect of equifinality with regard to how to design elements of economic freedom and thereby point to the questionable nature of rankings of economic freedom, which imply more economic freedom is equivalent to a promise of more growth and development. In the fourth study titled Overcoming the Matthew effect in status-dominated environments – a configurational analysis of venture capital investments, the authors apply QCA on a micro-level using a large longitudinal sample by investigating what combination of deal resources accumulated by venture capital partners leads to high deal performance. The aim is to analyze if new entrants can nonetheless overcome the burden of being new. The results point to a path that enables even new entrants to the status-dominated market to succeed. Applying QCA in this context provides an alignment between theory and research design, as other research methods such as regression or cluster analysis suggest eliminating outliers and would have prevented us from identifying this rare path of how new entrants can overcome the Matthew effect. In sum, this thesis has provided a review of past applications of QCA in business & management and three empirical studies highlighting the new insights and benefits of taking a configurational perspective and applying a research method that complies with it to study complex phenomena in entrepreneurship. While this thesis has made a major contribution to promote a configurational understanding of entrepreneurship by setting out designs on how to study in the face of the growing complexity faced by entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship research, I have also emphasized the challenges still to be overcome in order to establish the configurational perspective of entrepreneurship.
Erfolgsfaktoren zur Umsetzung der Transformation vom Produkthersteller zum Serviceanbieter
(2016) Hepp, Michael; Hadwich, Karsten
Throughout the last few decades many manufacturers of products have repositioned themselves strategically by moving from a product manufacturer to become a service provider. In the literature this is referred to “Servitization” or “Service Infusion”. Reasons for this is increasing competitive intensity in product manufacturing, corresponding with an erosion of product margins. Through Service Infusion, the product manufacturer can develop intimate relationships with its customer that results in a mutual dependency making the manufacturer less dependent on economic cycles. In addition, services usually have higher margins compared to products. This can result in a competitive advantage as well as higher entry barriers for the competitors. An increasing number of articles show the relevance of Service Infusion. Overall, however, the multitude of scientific papers have unfortunately not produced a common theoretical foundation or extensive empirical investigation. In addition, the integration of the customer as an external factor is a defined service as well, but is still insufficiently researched within the framework of the service infusion. So the thesis would like to answer the following three research issues: (1) What is a general theoretical framework for the service infusion? (2) What are the critical success factors for the transformation from a product manufacture to the product-oriented and system-solution-oriented business model? The overlapping success factors allows us conclusions for general success factors of the service infusion. (3) What is the role of customer integration in the transformation from the product manufacturer to the service provider and what is the ideal value of customer integration regarding to the specific business models? The thesis is structured in seven chapters: After the introduction, the second chapter describe the theoretical framework of the service infusion, the so-called business model approach of the service infusion. With a theoretical and deductive approach we structure ten development steps in four business models. For the validation we used case studies and a focus group discussion (n = 9) with experts. The third and fourth chapter show the implementation model of the product-oriented and system-solution-oriented business model. The EFQM Excellence model provides the theoretical framework. Through focus group discussions and a two-stage Delphi studies we confirmed for the product-oriented business model 29 (study 2, n = 11, study 3, n = 15) and the system-oriented business model 25, success factors (study 4, n = 11; study 5, n = 28). Chapter 5 shows success factors for the specific business models (product-oriented and system-solution-oriented business model), or general (fundamental) success factors of the service transformation. The sixth chapter describes the role of customer integration as part of the transformation process. The results shows, in relation to the different business models the collaborative role of the customers as an ideas supplier, a developer or a provider with different degrees of activities. These was also confirmed by a focus group discussion (6th study, n = 11). Finally Chapter 7 describes the limitation and conclusion of the thesis.
Umweltfreundliches Verhalten am Arbeitsplatz – Analyse der Determinanten und Untersuchung eines umfassenden Modells
(2016) Ostertag, Felix; Hahn, Rüdiger
While considering moral, rational, and affective motivational factors the main purpose of this doctoral thesis is to promote a better understanding of the complex relationships between various determinants that influence employees’ pro-environmental behavior at work (PEB@work). Empirical studies on the employees’ level are scarce and often limited by an exclusive set of examined variables that either focus on a particular theoretical foundation (e.g., rational choice theory) or analyze behavior against the background of a specific psychological perspective (e.g., industrial and organizational psychology). In contrast, recent conceptual studies try to cover a broad range of possible determinants of PEB@work. However, they also fail to be exhaustive and additionally lack empirical validation. A comprehensive empirical analysis of individual factors is therefore a promising approach in providing a coherent picture of various motivational drivers of pro-environmental behavior and their complex interrelationships in the workplace. My outline of the theoretical origins and foundations of pro-environmental behavior research highlights the potential benefits of a synthesis of different theories and models (i.e., the Value-belief-norm theory, the Theory of planned behavior, and mosaics from additional affective theories that either regard the environmental context or the workplace). After introducing workplace specifics, I present distinct domains of pro-environmental behavior (i.e., energy and water conservation, mobility, responsible consumption, eco-activism, and recycling and waste avoidance). A thorough literature review of PEB@work studies, finally, leads to the formulation of 19 hypotheses and the development of a holistic model of pro-environmental behavior at work. In order to test whether the model is suitable for a large proportion of employees, the final sample consisted of working students, allowing me to capture employees that usually only have little to moderate positional power. Structural equation modelling with AMOS was employed separately for each of the pro-environmental domains to confirm the fit of the collected data for the respective PEB@work model. Previously conducted quasi-exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) ensured the reliability and validity of measurement scales and latent variables. Model fit statistics and the variance explained reveal that the comprehensive PEB@work model fits the data convincingly well. The model is able to account for both, domain-specific pro-environmental behavior as well as unspecific pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, the results clearly show that pro-environmental behavior of employees is caused by a complex framework of causal dependencies between a diverse set of moral, rational, and affective determinants. These determinants vary in their influence depending on the considered domain. For most pro-environmental domains intentions are the best proximal predictor of PEB@work, followed by personal norms and subjective norms. However, regarding employees’ mobility and recycling behavior, perceived behavioral control is the most crucial factor. An additional objective of this doctoral thesis was to provide a theoretically grounded and comprehensible guide for practitioners on how to promote PEB@work of employees by means of interventions. To do so, an analysis of a broad range of antecedent and consequence intervention techniques was conducted, allowing me to identify which determinants of PEB@work these techniques are likely to address. Additionally, I developed a “9-paths-approach” that describes several paths within the tested model that organizational leaders and supervisors can basically take to encourage and support their employees’ pro-environmental efforts. Both, interventions and paths, combined with the empirical results led to the deduction of appropriate intervention techniques for each pro-environmental domain. Surprisingly, the dominant value orientation of employees (i.e., self-transcending values vs. self-enhancing values) is almost negligible, when supervisors have to decide which intervention to implement. In sum, on the basis of the developed model, the dissertation allows for a more in-depth understanding of the underlying motivational processes of PEB@work and provides theoretically grounded insights for practitioners to effectively target the diverse determinants of PEB@work.
Celebrating 30 years of Innovation System research : what you need to know about Innovation Systems
(2016) Klein, Malte; Sauer, Andreas
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Innovation System research, this paper presents an extensive literature review on this large field of innovation research. Building on an analytical basis of the commonalities “system” and “innovation”, the authors analyze the four main Innovation System approaches: National Innovation Systems (NIS), Regional Innovation Systems (RIS), Sectoral Innovation Systems (SIS) and Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). The analysis is structured systematically along ten comprehensive criteria. Starting with the founder(s) of each theory and the research program within each Innovation System approach was developed (1), the basic thoughts of each Innovation System approach are explained (2). For five case studies most cited (3), spatial boundaries are examined (4) and units of analyses are derived (5). By comparing the underlying theoretical concept and empirical results, the authors show patterns in the evolution of Innovation System research overall. By studying the basic components (6) and a functional analysis (7), each Innovation System approach is broken down into structural pieces and functional processes. If available, the authors present one or several taxonomies (8) for each Innovation System approach and summarize similar approaches (9), in order to classify and integrate the approaches into the ongoing innovation research. The identification of further research (10) shows which steps will need to be taken in the next years in order to evolve Innovation System research further and deeper. After the conclusion, the extensive table of comparison is presented which can serve as a guideline for academics and practitioners from basic and applied science, industry or policy that need to understand which Innovation System approach may be best for their specific analytical purposes.
Valuable learning experience or stigmatizing event? - Three studies exploring entrepreneurs’ lives subsequent to business failure
(2016) Mandl, Christoph; Kuckertz, Andreas
The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a detailed examination of the business failure phenomenon and to contribute to this important stream of research by formally investigating how business failure affects the subsequent lives of entrepreneurs. Building on an attributional perspective, diverse literature streams, and multiple methodological approaches, I seek to provide some new insights on this emerging stream of literature. Entrepreneurs’ lives after business failure can be studied as a process consisting of multiple stages uniting a great variety of phenomena ultimately resulting in affective, cognitive and behavioral outcomes for failed entrepreneurs. This thesis attempts to reflect and account for this process by exploring three selected phenomena determining entrepreneurs’ lives after business failure in depth. More specifically, I will explore and analyze selected immediate effects (i.e. the social costs and potential stigma associated with business failure), intermediate effects (i.e. the way entrepreneurs make sense of and explain their previous entrepreneurial endeavor), and finally long-term effects (i.e. how the sensemaking efforts of failed entrepreneurs could signal their future decision making and behavior). Overall, this dissertation provides a balanced and comprehensive picture of entrepreneurs’ lives after business failure. The results presented may represent an important step in the theory building process to better understand entrepreneurs’ reactions in response to the failure of their business. I am confident that the contributions of this dissertation pave the way for further empirical studies investigating the diverse effects of business failure on entrepreneurs’ subsequent lives.
Kreative Gründungsförderung - wo Startups die Politik in der Pflicht sehen
(2017) Kuckertz, Andreas; Prochotta, Alicia
Deutschland zählt im internationalen Vergleich zu den Volkswirtschaften, die auf eine bestens ausgebaute Förderinfrastruktur verweisen können. Dennoch verbleibt die Gründungsrate auf einem nicht akzeptablen, niedrigen Niveau. Wir befragen daher rund 200 Startup- Unternehmer aus Baden-Württemberg zu ihren Unterstützungserwartungen gegenüber der Politik. Insbesondere für politische Entscheidungsträger und öffentliche Fördereinrichtungen legen die Ergebnisse zwei Schlüsse nahe. Einerseits werden vielfach Förderangebote gefordert, die längst etabliert sind. Offenkundig haben etliche Programme ein Kommunikationsproblem und können sich im „Förderdschungel“ nicht bemerkbar machen. Andererseits liegt trotz der zahlreichen existierenden Angebote immer noch ein immenses Aufwärtspotenzial in der Etablierung kreativer, neuartiger Ansätze der Gründungsförderung. Hierzu machen wir entsprechende Vorschläge.
Understanding social-psychological determinants and effects of collaborative consumption
(2017) Roos, Daniel; Hahn, Rüdiger
This doctoral thesis aims to define collaborative consumption and advance the understanding of its social-psychological determinants and effects. In order to achieve these aims, the thesis presents three studies, each of which has been accepted at scientific conferences and developed further based on feedback from experts and reviewers. Two of the studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The introduction provides an overview of collaborative consumption as a comparably sustainable consumption practice. Moreover, three research deficits are identified that are the motivation for the subsequent studies. First, it is shown that the basic idea and the scope of collaborative consumption remain unclear. Second, it is found that understanding of determinants is limited to isolated variables leaving relative strengths of and interdependencies between variables untapped Finally, it is assessed that actual effects of collaborative consumption on consumers’ mindsets are not well understood. The first study titled “Prototypical collaborative consumption behaviors and their relations: A conceptual review and empirical study” examines consumer behaviors that are comprised by the term “collaborative consumption” and the relations between these behaviors. In order to identify prototypical collaborative consumption behaviors, original definitions of collaborative consumption in the literature are reviewed. To derive hypotheses on the relationships between the prototypical behaviors, the study draws on theoretical foundations from the field of consumer lifestyles and behavioral spillover. The second study titled “Understanding collaborative consumption: An extension of the theory of planned behavior with value-based personal norms” aims to understand which social-psychological variables and underlying values and beliefs determine actual collaborative consumption. The theory of planned behavior is used as the primary theoretical framework, as it is a well-established model that has been shown to explain a wide range of consumer behaviors. However, reviews and meta-analyses have found the theory’s ability to account for normative motives to perform a behavior is weak and have called for further theory development. As normative motives are expected to be particularly important in the context of collaborative consumption, the theory is extended with a value-based personal norm variable. The third study titled “Does collaborative consumption affect consumers’ values, attitudes, and norms? A panel study” examines the nature of causality between collaborative consumption and behavioral factors in order to determine whether collaborative consumption affects consumers’ values, attitudes, and norms over time. The study primarily builds on the theory of planned behavior, value theory, and the value-belief-norm theory to determine the theoretical framework linking collaborative consumption, values, attitudes, and norms over time. The theoretical framework is tested based on a two-wave panel over a time period of nine months using survey data from 168 consumers. In conclusion, the thesis contributes to the literature in six ways. First, the thesis conceptually defines collaborative consumption, a term that was used ambiguously so far. Second, it empirically advances the understanding of social-psychological determinants of collaborative consumption. Third, it explains social-psychological effects of collaborative consumption on consumers over time, something that has not been done in the literature before. Fourth, the thesis identifies and examines the relationships between five prototypical collaborative consumption behaviors. Fifth, it argues for the extension of the theory of planned behavior by a value-based personal norm variable and provides supporting empirical evidence. Finally, it advances knowledge on the causal relationship between values, attitudes, norms, and behavior.
Den „Generationenkonflikt“ durch richtige Kooperation überwinden – was Startups von Großunternehmen erwarten
(2017) Allmendinger, Martin P.; Kuckertz, Andreas
Der Zusammenarbeit von etablierten Großunternehmen mit Startups wird in Deutschland und insbesondere in Baden-Württemberg große Bedeutung eingeräumt, um im globalen Innovationswettbewerb weiter erfolgreich sein zu können. Wir zeigen, basierend auf aktuellen Umfragedaten, wie Startup-Unternehmer aus Baden-Württemberg das Kooperationsverhalten von Großunternehmen beurteilen und mit welchen Maßnahmen Unternehmen und Politik mehr Kooperation fördern können. Etablierte Großunternehmen sollten mehr Empathie für Startups aufbringen und dies durch mehr Offenheit und einen hohen Grad an Verpflichtung bei der Zusammenarbeit über alle Hierarchieebenen hinweg deutlich machen. Die Politik kann Kooperation als Vermittler direkt und indirekt unterstützen.
Dienstleistungsnetzwerke im Kontext der Servicetransformation - Barrieren, Erfolgsfaktoren und Wirkungsmodell
(2017) Weigel, Sabrina; Hadwich, Karsten
Manufacturing firms face major challenges due to the commoditization of products and increasing competitive pressure, which causes them to develop new business models. In order to secure their competitive position, they offer additional services or innovative combinations of products and services in addition to their products. Due to limited capacities, however, it is often not possible for a single company to offer its customers not only products but also services or complete solutions. This is why many companies join forces with other companies in order to be able to provide services to customers in so-called service networks. A major challenge in the context of service networks during servitization is to ensure a consistent, high quality of service for the customer. Furthermore, working with other companies in a service network is a challenge, so that in some cases the expected benefits of the network are not achieved or the cooperation might even fail. Despite the great relevance of the topic, there is still a lack of literature on service networks in the context of servitization, so the aim of this thesis is to contribute to scientific research on service networks in the context of servitization and to provide relevant recommendations for the successful management of service networks in business practice. Therefore, the thesis focuses on a detailed analysis of the relationships and interactions between the various network partners in order to identify key points that enable a service network in the context of servitization to operate successfully and to provide customers with high-quality services that contribute to the success of the service network in the context of servitization. The work is divided into five chapters. After an introductory chapter on definitions, chapter 2 examines the barriers in the quality management of service networks in the context of servitization. To this end, an empirical qualitative investigation (n = 6) is carried out. The qualitative study aims to identify specific barriers in the quality management of service networks that prevent the creation of high quality service. That way, starting points are worked out on how to ensure high quality in service networks during servitization. Chapter 3 is devoted to the goal of identifying factors that lead to successfully operating service networks in the context of servitization. For this purpose, interviews with senior executives from companies in these service networks are conducted in a qualitative study (n = 25) in order to identify success factors for service networks during servitization. These levers provide companies in the process of servitization with important insights to increase the success of their service networks. The aim of the fourth chapter is to demonstrate the relationship between the identified success factors and the desired positive results of service networks in the context of servitization. To this end, a theoretical hypothesis model is developed, which is examined in a quantitative study (n = 257). Based on the results, factors can be deduced that have to be increased in order to realize a high-performance and customer-attractive service network in the context of servitization. Chapter 5 is the conclusion. In this chapter, the key results of the work are first summarized by succinctly answering the research questions. Then concrete recommendations are derived for corporate practice. In addition to limitations of this thesis, further research is provided. Overall, the thesis provides essential empirical findings on barriers, success factors and cause and effect relationships in service networks during servitization, from which relevant implications for theory as well as for an effective and successful management of these service networks in the context of servitization can be derived.
Jeder für sich oder alle zusammen? : Das Stuttgarter Startup Ökosystem
(2017) Pommer, Tobias; Berger, Elisabeth S. C.; Kuckertz, Andreas
Im bekanntesten Startup Ökosystem der Welt, dem Silicon Valley, steht die Stanford University im Zentrum. Wie sieht es demgegenüber im Stuttgarter Startup Ökosystem aus? Mittels einer Netzwerkanalyse kartieren wir die zentralen Akteure dieses Ökosystems und ihre Beziehungen zueinander. Dabei zeigt sich: Das Stuttgarter Ökosystem zerfällt in drei separate Communities. Dies sind eine Unterstützungscommunity, in der sich hauptsächlich Unternehmertum fördernde Akteure bewegen, eine Potenzialcommunity rundherum um Fachhochschulen und Universitäten, welche die innovative Basis für viele Gründungsideen schafft, und eine Unternehmercommunity. Diese gewachsene Struktur erfüllt ihren Zweck, birgt jedoch Optimierungspotenzial.
Social and positive sustainability performance measurement : theories, conceptual frameworks, and empirical insights
(2018) Kühnen, Michael; Hahn, Rüdiger
Over 30 years have passed since the World Commission on Environment and Development published its famous Brundtland report including its definition of sustainable development. Since then, sustainability performance measurement looking beyond traditional financial performance measurement is becoming increasingly important in academia, business practice, and regulation to assess and ultimately manage economic, ecological, and social benefits and damages of organizational behavior along corporate supply chains and product life cycles. However, two overarching critical shortcomings prevent sustainability performance measurement from becoming a truly holistic and relevant decision-supporting instrument. First, the field is characterized by differing levels of maturity in terms of measuring performance of the three triple bottom line sustainability dimensions. Unlike established approaches for measuring ecological performance (e.g., with environmental life cycle assessment; ELCA) and economic performance (e.g., with life cycle costing; LCC), measuring social performance (e.g., with social life cycle assessment; SLCA) is still at a developmental stage, because the field is understudied and fragmented, and lacks empirical experience. Thus, the field of sustainability performance measurement is imbalanced in terms of the integrated assessment of the three sustainability dimensions. Second, the field is characterized by a negative perspective and a focus on becoming less unsustainable instead of making positive progress to sustainable development. Current sustainability performance measurement approaches primarily assess negative burdens or footprints and their reduction during product life cycles and in supply chains (e.g., accidents and fatalities, carbon dioxide emissions, or total cost of ownership) and neglect capturing positive benefits occurring throughout product life cycles and corporate supply chains. A critical reason is that research lacks a fundamental understanding of the general construct of positive sustainability performance. Thus, the field of sustainability performance measurement is incomplete because it fails to characterize and assess the important positive perspective of sustainability-related value creation and positive contributions to sustainable development. Triggered by the overarching critical shortcomings, this dissertation aims at advancing the level of maturity of social performance measurement and at advancing the understanding of positive sustainability performance measurement to promote a more balanced and complete assessment of contributions to sustainable development. To achieve these overarching aims, this dissertation builds on a multitude of research methods (especially, systematic reviews of research and corporate practice, an extensive Delphi study, and qualitative interviews), a resulting richness of empirical data, and various theoretical reflections. This dissertation comprises five studies (i.e., two systematic literature reviews and three empirical papers based on multiple research methods and data sets). Together, the five studies highlight the trends, coherences, inconsistencies, and gaps in social and positive sustainability performance measurement. Furthermore, the studies establish and explain the interrelation between social and positive sustainability performance measurement, advance their conceptual and theoretical foundation, promote standardization by prioritizing relevant indicators, and suggest an approach to measure and evaluate positive contributions to sustainable development. The individual studies presented in this dissertation offer valuable findings for research and managerial practice in the field. Together, the five studies highlight the trends, coherences, inconsistencies, and gaps in social and positive sustainability performance measurement. Furthermore, the studies establish and explain the interrelation between social and positive sustainability performance measurement, advance their conceptual and theoretical foundation, promote standardization by prioritizing relevant indicators, and suggest an approach to measure and evaluate positive contributions to sustainable development. Overall, this dissertation provides an important step to measure and ultimately manage social and positive sustainability performance. Thus, it establishes a foundation for the development of sustainable business practices that go beyond merely counteracting negative business outcomes toward actually delivering positive sustainability benefits for business and society.
The phenomenon of corporate venture capital from an entrepreneurial finance perspective
(2018) Röhm, Patrick; Kuckertz, Andreas
The dissertation sheds light on several aspects of the corporate venture capital (CVC) phenomenon, and thereby contributes to the ongoing development of the research field as such. In addition to a structural literature review (Chapter 2), two studies (Chapter 3 and Chapter 4) with a special focus on the motivational drivers within the CVC dyad and two further studies (Chapter 5 and Chapter 6) were conducted. First, the investment motivation is observed at the CVC level—investigating how CVC units interpret their mission as delegated by the corporate mother. And thereby going beyond the well-established “either-or approach” of previously-published articles by focusing on the continuum between the financial and strategic investment motivation of CVC units (Chapter 3). Second, the study presented in Chapter 4 applies the framework of exploration and exploitation to scrutinize the interplay of corporate venture capital investments and subsequent startup acquisitions. The final two articles then address the application of new approaches in the context of CVC research. On the one hand in stimulating the use of isomorphic tendencies in the CVC context, and on the other hand in developing a data-cleaning procedure to enable future scholars to achieve academic rigor by identifying CVC units among the data records of information providers.
What’s hot in entrepreneurship research 2018?
(2018) Prochotta, Alicia; Kuckertz, Andreas
Taking stock of what has been achieved in a particular research field, where a field currently stands, and where it might move to in the near future is an important undertaking. In this research brief, we present the results of a survey of 225 experienced entrepreneurship researchers who shared their insights on a) what topical areas are currently important in entrepreneurship research and b) what methods might be especially useful to provide interesting and relevant answers to old and new research questions. The results suggest no dramatic differences in the relevance of topics compared to our original survey conducted five years ago (Kuckertz 2013), but do indicate that the field is moving forward in terms of methods by embracing the “gold standard” of academic rigor inspired by the natural sciences (e.g., experimental designs) and by considering methods that make it possible to capture the complexity of entrepreneurial phenomena.
Where entrepreneurship and finance meet : startup valuation and acquisition in the venture capital and corporate context
(2018) Köhn, Andreas; Kuckertz, Andreas
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the underlying determinants of startup valuation and startup acquisition in the venture capital (VC) context, with particular focus on the role of corporate venture capital (CVC). The first study—Chapter 2—titled “The determinants of startup valuation in the venture capital context: A systematic review and avenues for future research” is a systematic review of the literature on empirically examined determinants of startup valuations in the VC context. It compiles and organizes the determinants examined in 58 selected papers in an integrative framework. This framework shows that startup valuations in the VC context are shaped by factors related to three levels, namely startup, venture capitalists, and the external environment. Moreover, the review process makes it possible for the study to highlight academic voids and to outline promising paths for future research. In the second study—Chapter 3—“Exploring the differences in early-stage startup valuation across countries: An institutional perspective”, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) across a sample of 13 countries is applied to explore the driving factors of the institutional setting in combination with a country’s innovativeness determining high and low early-stage startup valuations across countries. Overall, the study identifies five configurations; two configurations explain the outcome of high early-stage startup valuations, and three configurations explain the outcome of low early-stage startup valuations across countries. By applying fsQCA, the study also highlights the benefits of a configurational approach to exploring the institutional determinants in combination with a country’s innovativeness underlying early-stage startup valuations in the VC context. The third study—Chapter 4—titled “A world of difference? The impact of corporate venture capitalists’ investment motivation on startup valuation” combines explorative research (computer-aided text analysis and cluster analysis) and theory-testing (hierarchical linear modeling) methods to disentangle the different types of the motivation underpinning corporate venture capitalists’ (CVCs) investments, and their impact on startup valuations. In its explorative part, the study identifies four types of CVCs’ investment motivation: financial, strategic, unfocused, and analytic. In its theory-testing part, the results show that CVCs with a strategic investment motivation assign significantly lower startup valuations, while CVCs with an unfocused investment motivation assign significantly higher valuations than their peers having an analytic motivation. Hence, the study’s findings stress the heterogeneity of CVCs, thereby moving beyond the dominant black and white approach of the current academic discourse that labels CVCs as either strategic or financial. The fourth study—Chapter 5—titled “From investment to acquisition: The impact of exploration and exploitation on CVC acquisition” forms a bridge to the previous study by investigating the interplay of CVC investments and startup acquisitions drawing on the framework of exploration and exploitation. The study exploits a unique and diligently constructed dataset to shed light on the phenomenon of CVC acquisitions (i.e., a corporate mother acquiring a startup funded through its CVC unit) using computer-aided text analysis and logistic regression. The findings show that corporate mothers with a greater degree of explorative (exploitative) orientation are more (less) likely to engage in a CVC acquisition; and that this effect is negatively (positively) moderated by the extent of product market relatedness between startup and the potential acquirer. Taken as a whole, this dissertation is interested in the hitherto empirically studied determinants influencing startup valuations in the VC context; how the institutional setting affects early-stage startup valuations; the differing investment motivations of CVCs and their impact on the startup valuations assigned; and the underlying drivers of CVC acquisitions. To address these aspects, the dissertation draws on multiple streams of academic literature and various analytical methods. In doing so, this dissertation provides new and important insights that enhance the understanding of the entrepreneurial process by painting a more complete picture of the factors affecting the valuation and acquisition of startups in the VC context. Notwithstanding the dissertation’s contributions, it also discusses its limitations in outlining promising paths for future research. In sum, this dissertation can clearly serve as a door opener for future research seeking to further illuminate these under-researched, but crucial events in the entrepreneurial process.
Führung im Dienstleistungskontext : eine Betrachtung aus Unternehmens-, Mitarbeiter- und Kundenperspektive
(2018) Popp, Marion Claudia Helma; Hadwich, Karsten
In the past few years rapid technological development has fundamentally changed the interaction between companies and customers. Many existing companies used this technological progress as an opportunity to strategically realign their organization and reposition themselves in the market. As part of this development, companies increasingly focused on providing (high quality) services as a strategic opportunity to remain competitive in the future. Yet, in order to successfully provide services, organizations need to anchor and continuously demonstrate a "service orientation". Thereby, leadership represents an essential and vital practice to establish and maintain a service orientation within an organization. However, despite the high relevance of the topic for both research and corporate practice, research gaps in the area of leadership in the service context were identified, which are addressed in this thesis. Specifically, three research gaps – from the company, employee and customer perspective – are discussed. Overall, the aim of this thesis is to contribute to the scientific as well as practical knowledge of leadership in a service context by means of a holistic view. The thesis is divided into five chapters. In Chapter 1, the relevance of the topic and a theoretical foundation is presented. Chapter 2 tests the applicability of selected leadership styles for the service transformation process. Therefore, the leadership requirements of the service transformation process are presented, whereupon selected leadership styles are evaluated with regard to the identified requirements of the service transformation process. Chapter 3 covers the conceptualization and operationalization of service-oriented leadership from an employee’s perspective. Performing a scale development process, it is identified that service-oriented leadership manifests in five behavioral characteristics. The developed measurement model is then further validated and empirically verified by additional investigations. Chapter 4 deals with leadership in customer contact from a customer’s perspective. The subject of the chapter is the empirical investigation of the effect of employees’ interaction behavior in different service situations, aiming to identify the employees interaction behavior that promises success for a specific situation. Chapter 5 demonstrates the conclusion of the thesis, whereby the key insights from the company, employee and customer perspective are presented and overarching insights and implications for research and corporate practice are listed. Overall, the work thus provides essential insights into leadership in the service context from a corporate, employee and customer perspective, from which further relevant research needs as well as implications for corporate practice can be derived.
The international sales accelerator : a project management tool for improving sales performance in foreign target markets
(2018) Gerybadze, Alexander; Wiesenauer, Simone
There is a current research gap in the marketing and management literature regarding the setup of sales and distribution structures as well as the rollout in foreign target markets in order to establish countrywide presences. Due to this gap, we developed the International Sales Accelerator Model. The data collection and verification of the model took place during a thirdparty funds project with Baden-Württemberg’s business development agency, and environmental agency. The results reveal that the model represents a summary of best practices from different internationalization processes of very large companies. It is a seven-stage project management tool with the objective to improve the sales performance of companies entering foreign target markets.

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