Browsing by Subject "Bewertung"

Now showing 1 - 14 of 14

Auslandsberichterstattung nach dem 11. September 2001: Bewertung der deutschen Medienberichterstattung durch deutsche, US-amerikanische, afghanische und türkische Rezipienten
(2003) Maier, Michaela
Den 11. September 2001 wird die Welt nicht vergessen: Die Terroranschläge islamischer Fundamentalisten auf das World Trade Center in New York und das Pentagon in Washington kostete unzähligen Menschen das Leben. Für die Medien handelte es sich um Ereignisse mit außerordentlich hohem Nachrichtenwert. Das außergewöhnliche Medienereignis pulverisierte jede journalistische Routine. Wie verlief der Prozess der Medienberichterstattung und die Mediennutzung im Krisenfall? Wie ist die Qualität der Medienberichterstattung in dieser Zeit einzuschätzen? Gibt es Hinweise auf die Integrationsfunktion der Medien? Wie kann die deutsche Auslandsberichterstattung verbessert werden?
Entscheidungsorientierte Bewertung von Alternativen in Verhandlungsprozessen
(2022) Heinle, Timo; Troßmann, Ernst
Negotiations take place within and between all possible types of businesses. They not only shape private and public households, but they are also an elementary component in everyday business life. The main focus is on negotiations in make-to-order-production that take place between two companies. In the case of make-to-order-production the project character is important, which is reflected on the one hand in the high level of customer-related service specifications, and on the other hand in the low standardization of the drafting of contracts. To be able to draft the contracts, more or less extensive negotiations between the contracting parties, in which an attempt is made to reach an agreement on the relevant subjects of the negotiation, are usual. At different points in the negotiation process the negotiating parties must make a large number of decisions. If in such cases the negotiators only focus on the outcome of the negotiations, there is a risk of protracted negotiations with high costs. Such an approach is not compatible with a conventional operational target system. When considering the negotiation costs, it may be preferable to accept an allegedly worse offer in order to avoid further rounds of negotiations and the associated costs. Negotiation decisions, depending on the time the decision is made, can be characterized by a multitude of different alternatives. In any event, before a negotiation begins, it must be decided whether entering into a negotiation rather than the renunciation of a common agreement is preferable. If the negotiating parties are already negotiating, a decision on whether to accept or reject an existing offer is imperative. Breaking off a negotiation and the subsequent failure to reach an agreement is an alternative that regularly exists up until shortly before a contract is agreed on. To be able to make a choice, a decision-oriented valuation of alternatives in negotiation processes is necessary. The methodological apparatus designed in this dissertation enables a decision-oriented valuation of negotiation alternatives by the supplier in make-to-order-production. This allows negotiators to check at any time during a negotiation whether the intended negotiation alternative is the most appropriate or whether another negotiation alternative is relatively advantageous due to updated environmental conditions and updated levels of information.
Entscheidungsorientierte Bewertung von Forschungskooperationspartnern
(2012) Vaclavicek, Peter; Troßmann, Ernst
This thesis focuses on developing a method which can be used to evaluate potential partners to cooperate with in an intercompany research cooperation. Research is understood as systematically applying scientific methods in order to gain new knowledge. An intercompany cooperation is understood as a goal-directed, contractually settled long-term collaboration that is established on a voluntary basis between legally independent, yet consequently commercially mutually dependent companies. Decision-theory based evaluation of research cooperation partners requires processing a great deal of relevant information and the design of a suitable methodology. Research cooperation goals are seen as the essential benchmark on the basis of which alternative research cooperation partners are to be evaluated. Consequently, they are essential for the methodology to be chosen. Through the studying of literature, goals that are to be achieved through engaging in a research cooperation are thoroughly analyzed. Essential goals are content goals, timeframe goals and financial goals. Additional goals of more special character are risk reduction and feasibility. All characteristics of a company to be evaluated as a potential research cooperation partner are to be benchmarked in order to evaluate their value for achieving research cooperation goals. Conveniently, these characteristics can be distinguished between two types: first, the objectively observable potentials of a potential research cooperation partner. These characterize his capabilities, to enrich the planned research project in a purposeful way, when compared to one?s own capabilities. Capabilities of importance for research projects can typically be seen in material operating resources (e.g. experimental plants or specialized IT-facilities), human resources (e.g. laboratory staff), immaterial resources (particularly knowledge) and finally financial resources. Second, the will (or: motivation) is the second set of relevant cooperation partner characteristics. The best alternative to engaging in a research cooperation with any partner is to realize the intended research project by oneself, i.e. without a cooperation partner. This alternative is referred to as the null alternative. Consequently, all potential research cooperation partners are to be compared with the extent to which research goals can be achieved through one?s null alternative. The key aspect of the methodology to be developed thus is the evaluation of positive and negative consequences of choosing a particular company as a partner to cooperate with. Positive consequences (or: advantages) can be identified as a better achievement of goals than would be possible when realizing the null alternative. Since different goals are to be measured with different scales, standardization through a scoring model becomes necessary. Negative consequences (or: disadvantages) of cooperating with a particular partner result from his lack of cooperation will. In particular means and instruments of intercompany coordination are to be evaluated. Having determined advantages and disadvantages of a particular research cooperation partner, both findings can be added in order to generate an overall partner value. The higher this partner value, the more suitable is the company as a research cooperation partner. As long as the partner value is above zero, i.e. positive, cooperation leads to a better goal-achievement than realizing the null alternative (i.e. realizing the research project by oneself). A negative partner value however indicates that realizing the null alternative would mean a better goal achievement than engaging in a research cooperation with this particular partner. The wide usability of the methodology developed is demonstrated by a concluding discussion of three particularly relevant constellations in intercompany research cooperations: research coopera-tions with more than just two research partners (i.e. research networks), international research cooperations, and research cooperations in public-private-partnerships. Specific requirements of using the developed set of methodology in these three constellations are highlighted conclusively.
Evaluation of the availability of different mineral phosphorus sources in broilers
(2012) Shastak, Yauheni; Rodehutscord, Markus
Inorganic feed phosphates are an indispensable supplement for compounding poultry feed. The requirement of available P in broiler chicks cannot be covered only with plant ingredients as P in plant feedstuff is largely presented in form of phytate which is only partially available in avian species. Due to the increase in prices for feed phosphates and environmental concerns associated with excessive excretion of P by livestock, the knowledge about the availability of P from mineral sources has gained in importance during the last decade. However, there is still no standardized method available for assessing the P availability of inorganic feed phosphates. Without knowledge of the exact quantitative values of the P availability for different P sources, it is not possible to formulate adequate diets without the risk of deficiency or excess supplementation. There are various approaches which are used by different laboratories for the determination of P availability. The main problem is, however, that it is not clear how the differences between approaches affect the results. The development of a standardized method of P evaluation, which allows obtaining quantitative values for P availability, is the basis for optimizing the dietary P concentration in broiler diets. The major objective of this thesis was to compare various methodological approaches that are used internationally to determine P availability in terms of their suitability. Therefore, firstly the P availability of two mineral phosphates was determined in 3- and 5-wk-old broilers based on data for P retention and prececal digestibility. The P availability of both mineral sources was calculated for both ages of birds by regression analyses for comparison of both response criteria. Secondly, the tibia bone ash and other bone criteria were determined. A comparison of these bone response criteria was then carried out by relating these data to measurements made on P retention. Thirdly, the suitability of tibia P retention for the estimation of the whole body P retention was investigated at both ages of birds. Variation in P retention of birds in these studies was additionally caused by the level and the source of P in the diet. In a fourth study, the effect of the basal diet composition on the availability of a feed phosphate was investigated based on quantitative P retention. A phytin-containing corn-SBM-based as well as a purified basal diet was used. Moreover, the impact of the inorganic phosphate level on the IP6 hydrolysis of the corn-SBM-based diet was assessed on the basis of excreta collection. In the first study, a corn-SBM-based basal diet was used (0.35% P on dry matter basis). MSPa or DCPa was supplemented to increment the P concentration by 0.08%, 0.16%, and 0.24%. Two balance trials (n=8 birds per diet) and two digestibility trials (n=8 pens with 10 birds per diet) were conducted (8 treatments per diet). In 3-wk-old broilers, P retention for MSPa was 70% and significantly higher (P < 0.001) than for DCPa (29%), as calculated by linear regression analysis. Values determined for P pc digestibility at the same age were very similar (67% for MSPa and 30% for DCPa; P < 0.001). In 5-wk-old broilers, P retention was 63% (MSPa) and 29% (DCPa) (P < 0.001), and pc digestibility was 54% (MSPa) and 25% (DCPa) (P = 0.002). In conclusion, in 3-wk-old broilers results obtained with both approaches were the same. In 5-wk-old broilers, the ranking of the two P sources was the same for both approaches. Values differed not greatly between the two age periods. The second study was linked to the first one, and the experimental design was the same. The study comprised two periods with birds of different ages, but from the same hatch. The response criteria evaluated were tibia, tarsometatarsus, toe ash, and P, as well as the Quantitative Computed Tomography measurements of tibiae, blood Pi concentration, and body weight gain. Responses were evaluated and compared based on linear regression analysis. In general, MSPa had a greater slope than DCPa for all criteria studied. For the different bones, the ratio of slopes was very similar based on the amount of ash in both periods. Foot ash was proved to be as sensitive as tibia ash in both periods. Blood serum Pi and body weight gain were not sufficiently sensitive criteria for P evaluation. We concluded that the ranking of both mineral P sources based on bone criteria differed from the ranking that was based on P retention or pc digestibility. The third study was also linked to the first one. Thus, the experimental design was the same. On days 21 and 35, two chicks per treatment were randomly chosen. Contents of P and Ca were determined in tibiae-free bodies and tibiae. The whole body P to tibia P ratio was 21.3±1.3 at d 21 and 19.8±1.1 at d 35 of age. The slope of linear regressions between the tibia P and the whole body P for both ages was identical (17.7). Results indicated that changes in tibia P may be suitable to predict changes in whole body P retention. In the last experiment, a phytin-containing as well as a purified basal diet, both containing 1.8 g available P per kg feed dry matter, was supplemented with MSPa to increment the P concentration by 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.15%. A retention trial with excreta collection from d 20-24 was conducted (n=7 birds per diet). The level of P did not significantly affect the total P retention either of the corn-SBM-based or of the purified basal diet (P > 0.05). However, increasing the P level significantly reduced (P = 0.015) the IP6 hydrolysis for the corn-SBM-based diets. Percentage P retention for MSPa was calculated by linear regression analysis. P retention for MSPa was 50% for the corn-SBM-based diet and 51% for the purified diet. We concluded that there was no difference in P retention from MSPa between corn-SBM-based and purified diets. It can be concluded from the results of the present thesis that both retention and pc digestibility can be used for evaluating mineral P sources in broilers based on a regression approach. The ranking of mineral P sources based on bone criteria differed from the ranking that was based on P retention or pc digestibility. There was no difference in P retention from MSPa between corn-SBM-based and purified based diets, but a significant effect of the P-level on the IP6 hydrolysis in corn-SBM-based basal diets was found.
Labour as a utility measure reconsidered
(2017) Pham, Van Dinh; Ahlheim, Michael; Frör, Oliver; Nguyen, Minh Duc; Rehl, Antonia; Siepmann, Ute
In Stated Preference studies for the appraisal of environmental projects in poor countries or regions it often turns out that the stated willingness to pay of people for environmental improvements, which is used as measure of individual welfare changes, is very low. This is often interpreted as the result of extremely tight budget constraints, which make it impossible that people express their true appreciation of an environmental project in terms of their willingness to pay for it. Therefore, it is sometimes suggested to use labour contributions instead of money as a numeraire to measure utility in such studies. In this paper we show theoretically and empirically that this suggestion is not compatible with the principles of welfare theory because of several inconsistencies. We also illustrate the validity of our arguments empirically based on the results of a Contingent Valuation study conducted in a rural area in northern Vietnam.
Load based evaluation of machines using the example of a tractor
(2018) Balbach, Florian; Böttinger, Stefan
The estimation of tractor value requires a lot of experience and knowledge and relies mainly on to-tal operation hours and manufacturing year. Today each tractor operation hour is considered to be equal because tractor meters operate time based only and do not consider the varying loads. But tractors face multiple applications within a year. Each application puts different loads on each tractor assembly such as engine, gearbox, axles or power take-off. A more precise method is introduced to evaluate tractor operation hours on basis of real applica-tion loads of each tractor assembly within the drivetrain separately. The method relates accumulat-ed tractor loads to standard operation loads which are defined by a reference load spectrum for the specific assembly. For the load evaluation a pseudo damage calculation similar to the Miner’s rule is used. A test tractor was equipped with strain gauge sensors to measure torque flow within the drivetrain. A variety of different tractor applications were measured and load spectra for different assemblies were generated. Based on different tractor application profiles lifetime load spectra for the differ-ent assemblies can be calculated. Further consolidation of the individual load factors can be done by weighting of the assemblies. The resulting load factor brings transparent information about in-tensity of tractor usage. Results show big differences between the assemblies and between the different application profiles. This supports the demand for a new method for tractor evaluation
Nachhaltigkeitswettbewerbe in Deutschland 2020 : Übersicht und Methodik der Bestandsaufnahme
(2020) Gebhardt, Beate
This working paper present a systematic collection of German sustainability competitions in 2020 to all interested readers. The collection of 141 sustainability competitions serves as a basis for further projects and studies by the Business Excellence and Sustainability Transformation Working Group (AK BEST), University of Hohenheim. The present collection updates a previous list from 2017.
Quo vadis? Ansätze der Qualitätssicherung von Nachhaltigkeitswettbewerben für Unternehmen
(2021) Gebhardt, Beate
This report summarises the findings of an expert workshop on "Approaches and possibilities for quality assurance of sustainability competitions", which was successfully held on 4 November 2021. The workshop was hosted by the BEST initiative at the University of Hohenheim, under the leadership of Dr Beate Gebhardt. In the workshop, together with stakeholders from practice and science, approaches for quality improvements and visualisation of high-quality standards in sustainability contests were identified and evaluated by the experts. Essential steps and research projects for the future were defined. The key results of the event are: 1.) the impact and power of sustainability competitions as potential drivers of sustainability transition is endangered (loss of significance); 2.) in order to sharpen their profile, high-quality sustainability competitions should become more visible (visualisation); 3.) the BEST initiative at the University of Hohenheim is starting a dialogue to develop criteria for high-quality sustainability competitions (orientation).
SIEGER! Business-Awards als Instrument zur Steuerung der Nachhaltigkeitstransformation : Ansätze für Qualitätssicherung und Schärfung der strategischen Weiterentwicklung
(2024-08-14) Gebhardt, Beate; Hellstern, Laura
Das von der Deutschen Bundestiftung Umwelt (DBU) geförderte Forschungsprojekt „SIEGER“ ist ein wichtiger Baustein für Überlegungen und Analysen zum Nutzen und zur Qualitätssicherung von hochwertigen Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitswettbewerben. Es stellt die Möglichkeiten der konzeptionellen und organisatorischen Weiterentwicklung von Nachhaltigkeitswettbewerben dar und beschäftigt sich mit Erfolg und der Zukunftsfähigkeit solcher Awards. Untersucht wurden in diesem Zusammenhang die strategische Bedeutung sowie Herausforderungen und – erstmals in diesem Kontext – der Einfluss von Krisen auf die Rolle von Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeits-awards. Eine weitere Frage ist, ob und wie Awards die konkrete Nachhaltigkeitsperformance und -bewertung von Unternehmen bzw. einen Paradigmenwechsel oder eine Unternehmenstransformation unterstützen. Die Erkenntnisse des Projekts sollen Vergabeinstitutionen von Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitswettbewerben eine Orientierung geben in den Fragen: • Was macht hochwertige Wettbewerbe aus? • Wie können kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen (KMUs) davon profitieren und Awards nutzen? • Können Awards zu einer gesamtgesellschaftlichen nachhaltigen Transformation beitragen? Für das Forschungsprojekt SIEGER wurden mittels Methoden-Mix deutschlandweit Vergabeinstitutionen von Awards und Unternehmen befragt. Gesammelt, systematisiert und abgeleitet werden Möglichkeiten resilienter, erfolgsversprechender Ansätze einer nachhaltigen Transformation der Vergabekonzepte; Möglichkeiten zur Stärkung von KMUs aus Sicht von Vergabeinstitutionen (Awardgebende), von Unternehmen (Awardnehmende) und von weiteren Experten sowie strategische Empfehlungen für zukunftsfähige Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitswettbewerbe. Die Projektbearbeitung übernahm der AK BEST (Business Excellence and Sustainability Transformation), eine Initiative angegliedert an die Universität Hohenheim, mit Schwerpunkt in der Award-Forschung. Zentrale Aussagen der Studie lauten: 1. Auf den Ausbau oder eine Weiterentwicklung der Nachhaltigkeitstransformation können hochwertige Nachhaltigkeitsawards eine positive Auswirkung haben – auch wenn die (Unternehmens-)Welt von Krisen und/oder Unsicherheiten beeinflusst ist. 2. Die Stärken und Chancen von Awards werden höher bewertet als die Schwächen und Risiken. 3. Insbesondere der Imagegewinn, Sympathiegewinn bei Kund*innen und die Motivation bei Mitarbeiter*innen werden von Unternehmen als positive Effekte genannt. 4. Für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen (KMUs) sind vor allem Finanzier-barkeit und Zeitaufwand eine Hürde für die Teilnahme, für Großunternehmen ist es die Vielzahl an Awards und deren Glaubwürdigkeit. 5. (Nachhaltigkeits-)Awards spielen auch in der Zukunft eine Rolle für Unternehmen, wenn die Vergabeinstitutionen fünf wesentliche Merkmale sicherstellen: Qualität, Glaubwürdigkeit, Transparenz, Zugänglichkeit und Wirkung. 6. Für zukünftige oder Zukunftsawards erwarten Unternehmen Kommunikations-fähigkeit (für sich) und Kommunikation (der Vergabeinstitution), um externe sowie interne Stakeholder in das Handeln und ggfs. eine Transformation zu integrieren. 7. Zentral ist dafür, dass auch die Vergabeinstitutionen in der Lage sind, ihre Awards situativ anzupassen und ggfs. eine Selbstveränderung zu schaffen (Resilienz). In diesem Abschlussbericht des Forschungsprojekts SIEGER werden diese Ergebnisse detailliert beschrieben, Ziel und Methodik der Forschungsstudie benannt und ein Weg in die Zukunft für (Nachhaltigkeits-)Awards aufgezeigt.
Simulation of the sustainability of farming systems in Northern Thailand
(2008) Potchanasin, Chakrit; Zeddies, Jürgen
Introduction Due to an increase in environmental problems and resource degradation, economic development should be pursued with consideration of environmental functions and the supply and quality of natural resources. Monitoring and assessment of whether the development approaches a sustainable path are required to provide information for policy development. This becomes increasingly important ? especially for marginal areas where the environment and natural resources are sensitive. The study area is located in the mountainous area of Northern Thailand with abundant natural resources and a healthy ecological environment. However, population growth, land limitation, and external factors ? such as market forces ? are inducing change and pressure on resource utilization. The resources are intensively used and farming systems are changing to more commercial practices. Therefore, the region?s long term sustainability needs investigation. Objectives This study aims at assessing the sustainability of the farming systems in the study area under the sustainability concept, farming systems approach and Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) approach. The first objective of this study is to describe the characteristics of the farming systems in the study area. The second objective is to develop and use a MAS model to evaluate sustainability of the study area. The last objective is to use the model to present sustainability of farming systems under different scenarios based on changes of significant factors and policy intervention. In addition, the ability of the systems to cope with and recover themselves from these changes is examined. Methodology The sustainability of the farming systems in the study area was assessed through defined indicators representing three conditions: the economic, social and environmental condition. The indicators were defined based on the framework of indicator determination to serve the objectives and methodology of this study. The selected indicators for this study are: household income, net farm income, household capital, household saving, food security, top-soil erosion and fallow period. For these indicators the following sustainability classes were defined: Sustained (S), Conditional sustained (C), and Non-sustained (N) class. Evaluation of sustainability was carried out at two levels: the household and the village level. At the household level the sustainability situation was evaluated based on the individual farm household performance corresponding to each indicator. The sustainability at village level was assessed through the Sustainability index (SI) when single indicators are considered and the Performance index (PI) in which a group of indicators is regarded. The dynamics of the sustainability situation at household and village level were extrapolated over 15 years (2003 ? 2017) in order to examine the sustainability of the study area?s farming systems. The MAS model was developed and named CatchScapeFS. The model structure relies on descriptions of the farming systems in the study area. The MAS approach was applied in order to capture the complexity and extrapolate the long-term sustainability situation in the study area. The model composes of two components: a biophysical and a socioeconomic component. The biophysical component is based on the CatchScape3 model. It consists of biophysical models: a hydrological model, a crop model, a water balance model and a soil erosion model, which are embedded in the landscape model of the study area (represented in spatial grid cells as plots of one rai or 0.16 ha). The socioeconomic component is composed of farm household agents and other social elements. The farm household samples were classified based on the similarity of characteristics and behaviour into the market, subsistence, and partnership oriented group. The Monte Carlo technique was applied to generate farm agents out of the existing farm household samples. The CatchScapeFS model was designed according to the object-oriented modelling approach. The CORMAS platform was selected as a capable tool to facilitate modelling and simulation. During a simulation time step covering 10 days, activities in six principal phases including activities in eight phases of farm agent household activities are executed. The model was validated and tested for its stability. Validation was conducted by social validation and statistic data comparison validation. The results of the model validation and stability test showed the reliability of using the model to serve the study objectives. Main results Sustainability of study area at the household level The results show unsustainability over time in the study area. The number of households in the Sustained class (S) decreases whereas the number in the Non-sustained (N) and Conditional sustained class (C) tend to increase. For the economic condition, unsustained aspects occurred because of rising private household expenditure and decreasing capital products on the farm. For the social condition, the results show an increase of the households? rice deficit and rice acquisition in the long run which enhances the area?s unsustainability. For the environmental condition, erosion and shortening fallow aspects induce the area?s unsustainability. The area?s erosion is severe and increases over time. For the fallow aspect, the average fallow period is shortening because of intensive land use in order to produce for consumption ? which potentially induces land degradation in the long run. Sustainability of the study area at village level Similar to the results at household level, the findings show that farming systems in the study area are not sustainable. Unsustainability was observed by a declining Performance index (PI) and declining Sustainability indexes (SIs) of all indicators in the long term. By considering PI values with the trends, the area?s sustainability in economic condition is better than the social and especially environmental condition. This can be explained by relative high SI values for the economic indicators compared to the SIs of the social and environmental indicators. By considering all SIs and their dynamic trend, sustainability issues can be ranked to determine the sustainability issues which need to be improved. Food security is the most unsustained issue followed by the issues of household saving, household capital, top-soil erosion, household income, fallow period, and net farm income respectively. Scenario analysis The scenarios were the implementation of a policy to improve sustainability and occurrence of unexpected events through changes of biophysical and economic factors. The scenario of the sustainability improving policy is defined as introduction of a high yield variety of upland rice and maize including introduction of mango to the households who currently only produce annual crops. Unexpected events due to the change of biophysical factors were simulated with a drought and rain increasing scenario. A decreasing crop price scenario represented an unexpected event due to the change of an economic factor. Implementation of proposed sustainability improvement policy The results show that the sustainability in the study area is obviously improved; represented by an increase of the PI value with a positive trend over time. In addition, the SIs of many indicators increase in this scenario, except the SI of household saving, which was rather constant. The PI of economic indicators improves with a higher number of households in the sustainable class when considering the household income, net farm income and household capital indicators. For the social condition, PI and SI values of food security increase because of a reduced rice deficit. For the environmental condition, the PI value of the environmental indicators increases because of a reduction of soil erosion and a longer fallow periods. It can be concluded that this scenario provides a policy option which potentially leads to an improvement of the sustainability situation in the study area. Drought scenario The results show that the study area was still unsustainable similar to the baseline scenario. However, the results show a slightly better PI during drought with a higher value and a slower decrease over time. These are the effects of the trade-offs between the indicators. The top-soil erosion indicator (influenced by decreasing rain) becomes better. This positive effect compensates for the negative effects regarding household savings, food security and fallow period indicators ? which all declined. In addition, the simulation results presented the adaptation and reaction of farm agents to drought. Drought is perceived and causes a delay in planting to avoid damage. This induced a variation of the planted area. However, the variation becomes lower because of adaptation as the farm households learn from their experiences. During drought, an increase in the rice and maize deficiency occurred. The average amount of borrowed rice increased over time and the rice acquisition of the farm agents is performed by borrowing from the village rice bank and neighbours In addition, the farm agents acquire maize by collecting wild vegetables to feed their animals. Furthermore, the results indicate the ability of the farm households to cope with and to recover to some extent from a drought. Rain increasing scenario In this scenario, the study area was still unsustainable, similar to the baseline. However, for this scenario, the top-soil erosion is worse because of the increasing rainfall. The PI of economic indicators slightly increased in the first year with increasing rain because of the rising income from livestock production. However, this was caused by random effects influencing the model?s initial stage. For the social condition, there are only small random changes compared to the baseline scenario. For the environmental condition, the PI and SIs of environmental indicators become worse due to an increase of top-soil erosion. Price decreasing scenario The results show that the area?s sustainability is worse compared to the baseline. A reduction of the crop price directly affects household income and cash ? which consequently generates a cash deficit problem. However, due to the area characteristics and household behaviour, there is no effect on resource use because prices do not influence the farm agents? decision making. The PI of this scenario declines faster than in the baseline. This was affected by the decrease of the SIs of the economic indicators which decreased during the periods of the price fall. The households are confronted with a decline in cash which results in a deficiency of cash. Cash acquisition of the households is performed by selling livestock and borrowing from the village fund and neighbours. For the social and environmental condition, there are only small changes due to random effects. Policy recommendations Based on the study results, policies to improve sustainability of the study area farming systems are recommended. Firstly, to improve the area?s sustainability, the introduction of high yield variety of upland rice and maize with conservation practices as well as the introduction of mango to the farm households who currently produce only annual crops is recommended. Secondly, diverting research efforts to develop cash crop alternatives is required in order to improve household cash income. Thirdly, the promotion and support for raising livestock and off-farm activities, such as weaving and the development of tourism, should be performed in order to increase household cash income. Fourthly, awareness raising measures for stakeholders concerning environmental and resource protection have to be executed and achieved. For this, the CatchScapeFS model can be used as a tool to promote a common view between stakeholders. Fifthly, the introduction of birth control in this area is also necessary. Simultaneously, an understanding of households? regarding the effects of population growth should be created in order to obtain the villagers? cooperation without cultural conflicts. Recommendations for further research Guidelines for further studies and applications are recommended. Firstly, development of the model to be more realistic could be undertaken by representing more details of the systems, for example, introducing a nutrient soil dynamic model. However, this should be based on the considered research question (s) and should consider both the marginal benefits and marginal costs of development. Secondly, application of the CatchScapeFS model to other study areas would need to consider the compatibility of the model components and structure of the characteristics in the new study area. In addition, if applied to new areas the indicators to represent sustainability of the study area should be revised. Thirdly, applications following this study framework can be extended to different sustainability approaches ? such as sustainable rural livelihood or sustainable land management. However, the compatibility and relationship of the indicators with the study framework should be considered. Fourthly, a framework through application of object-oriented modelling is recommended as an alternative for further studies to investigate the consequences of policy interventions. However, resource requirements for any research application should be taken into account. Fifthly, the CatchScapeFS model can be used as a tool to test and monitor the effects of potential policies which can be implemented into Bor Krai village. Also, the model can be used as a tool to promote a common view of the overall village systems as well as to support collective decision making managed by stakeholders of the systems. Recommendations for newcomers to MAS application research Suggestions from the present study for newcomers have been proposed. The first recommendation to deal with the MAS application research is that newcomers have to learn the computer programs and programming. Learning programming with advice of programming experts at the beginning period and attention of newcomers to apply the code in different circumstances are highly recommended. Secondly, development of an integrated model in multidisciplinary research requires learning the academic knowledge from other disciplines. Therefore, determining the study objectives within the possible extent, introducing assumptions to simplify the additional disciplines, and consulting specialists to learn the required knowledge within a short time frame are suggested. Lastly, the development of integrated model requires a huge amount of data. Therefore, in the case which required data cannot be obtained, introducing assumptions based on theory and literature is recommended.
Smallholder milk production in the Punjab of Pakistan and the evaluation of potential interventions
(2007) Teufel, Nils; Gall, Christian
The potential offered by milk production and marketing to increase rural income has long been recognised. Yet, milk production by smallholder households, the great majority of the 4.1 million households with dairy animals in the Punjab of Pakistan, has remained practically unchanged. In order to facilitate improved decisions on the allocation of limited development resources, this study analyses smallholder milk production, determines the effects of a variety of technical improvements and evaluates these by their household effects. For this, a linear programming model simulates household decisions based on identified objectives, recorded resources and technical characteristics. Multiple objectives are considered through compromise programming. Ten improvement scenarios are formulated. These include the introduction of new feeds (maize grain, commercial concentrates, molasses and hybrid sorghum), improved reproductive performance (reduced age at first calving and reduced inter-calving period), improved veterinary health (reduced mortality of calves and of adult females) and the introduction of genetically improved animals, through selective breeding (buffalo and cattle) or crossbreeding (cattle). Model data were collected during a cross-sectional survey of 322 randomly selected households and a 13-month longitudinal survey of 64 specifically selected smallholders in the central region of the irrigated Punjab of Pakistan. Cluster analysis identifies seven household classes in the cross-sectional sample. The three largest are considered in the model, characterised as "smallholders with marginal land resources" (class 1), "smallholders with subsistence orientated milk production" (class 2) and "smallholders with market orientated milk production" (class 3). The classification is applied to the longitudinal survey sample by discriminant analysis, identifying 9, 23, and 31 households in classes 1 to 3, respectively. Herd sizes are similar in household classes 1 and 2, with 2.1 and 2.3 adult female buffaloes respectively, while 3.6 are kept in class 3. Only 0.5 adult female cattle are kept in all classes. Land availability is similar for classes 2 and 3 (2.4 ha), but only 1.0 ha in class 1. Cropping patterns are dominated by wheat and rice. Berseem (Egyptian clover) and sorghum plus maize are important fodder crops. The nutrient supply calculated from feeding records corresponds well to estimated livestock nutrient requirements. Nevertheless, feed shortage periods in spring and early winter demand attention. Feed energy constrains livestock nutrition throughout the year in all classes. In addition to maximising family income, households also aim at maintaining their welfare against negative shocks. Also, opportunity costs of family labour are difficult to determine. Thus, maximising farm income and livestock assets (for insurance) as well as minimising loan requirements and family labour use are defined as model objectives in this order of importance. Food requirements are formulated as constraints. The activity levels produced by the base household model correspond well to longitudinal survey data. However, milk marketing is not only determined by the milk price but also by the reliability of marketing systems. Therefore, the milk price within the model is reduced to simulate recorded milk marketing levels. The price reduction is interpreted as the ?perceived? risk associated with milk marketing at village level. Model results of the ten improvement scenarios show positive effects for most interventions. Cheap high-energy feeds ("molasses", "hybrid sorghum") provide the greatest benefits for all classes. Increasing annual milk output ("inter-calving period", "selective breeding") is mainly effective in households selling substantial amounts of milk. Reducing replacement requirements ("adult mortality", "age at first calving") does not considerably improve the attractiveness of milk production. High-value concentrates (?maize grain?, ?commercial concentrates?) are unattractive as long as alternatives (e.g. wheat grain) are self-produced at current opportunity costs of land and labour. Finally, reducing calf mortality has practically no effect and crossbred cattle are only attractive under good marketing conditions with effective institutions. Including only income as objective indicates rising incomes when herd sizes are reduced in favour of cash crops. In a third model version, the effects of higher "perceived" milk prices simulate reactions to improved milk marketing. Despite considerable improvements in the adjusted base model, low-cost feeds still manage to produce considerable benefits. The study shows that introducing targeted interventions, such as providing cheap high-energy feeds, to smallholder milk production and improving market access are effective approaches for decreasing rural poverty.
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.
Theoretical analysis and preference modelling for the valuation of ecosystem services from native pollinators in selected Thai rural communities
(2018) Narjes, Manuel; Lippert, Christian
Until now, the existing microeconomic models concerned with pollination markets have not accommodated the global diversity of beekeeper-farmer interactions. The most prominent of such theoretical models is dedicated to describing the determinants of colony stocking densities and of equilibrium wages that farmers have paid to commercial beekeepers for decades in the highly bee-pollination reliant almond monocultures of California. This cumulative dissertation generalizes this basic model by taking into account the marginal productivity of a given agro-ecosystem’s wild bees and the opportunity costs that farmers incur when assigning labor time to beekeeping. In that regard, we assessed the economic potential of on-farm beekeeping, which can involve several bee species, by juxtaposing this activity’s net benefits against those from hiring commercial pollination services. In addition to serving as a classification tool for a plurality of farmer-beekeeper-nature interactions and related optimization problems, the resulting analytical framework helps identifying the institutional settings that are most likely to lead to a specific bioeconomic equilibrium supply of pollination. What is more, it illustrates the interplay of the pertinent economic and agro-ecological factors, thus assisting the postulation of empirically testable hypotheses. We also conducted two separate discrete choice experiments (DCEs) with orchardists from the Thai provinces of Chiang Mai (N = 198 respondents) and Chanthaburi (N = 127), in order to elicit their preferences for changes in the population of local wild bees that would hypothetically result from a conservation policy consisting (along with a per-household implementation fee) of at least one of the following three measures: (i) offering farmers bee-friendly alternatives to conventional agro-chemicals, (ii) enabling the protection and/or rehabilitation of natural bee habitats near cropland, and (iii) fostering the husbandry of native bee species by transferring technical knowledge on the practice of on-farm beekeeping. In this context, we fitted random parameter logit models on the Chiang Mai dataset. They yielded a significant willingness to pay (WTP) for the presented conservation measures and suggested that the disutility the respondents perceived for a 50% decline in the local population of native bees was greater than the utility they would derive from experiencing a bee population increase of the same magnitude. Moreover, comparing our aggregated WTP estimates to the expected production losses, showed that orchard farmers underestimated the true use value of pollination. On the other hand, the average WTP for all conservation measures combined by far exceeded the costs that, according to our calculations, each household would incur for such a project to be implemented. Our models also indicated a significant preference heterogeneity in the sampled population, which we could partly explain with idiosyncratic variables such as the respondents’ attitudes towards native bees and beekeeping. Finally, we examined further sources of randomness in the observed choice behavior, by modelling the unknown choice decision-relevant influences that could not be captured during the DCEs. To that end, we fitted generalized mixed logit (GMXL) models on the pooled datasets, which allowed comparing, on a common utility scale, the part-worth (value) estimates from Chiang Mai and Chanthaburi, where different experimental designs were applied. Our results reveal that farmers in Chanthaburi, who reported having experienced crop declines that they attributed to insufficient pollination, introduced less subjective factors into their choices than their Chiang Mai counterparts, who may have been less familiar with the importance of conserving bees. Moreover, the GMXL results also suggest that Chanthaburi farmers placed a significantly higher value on the above-mentioned measures (i) and (ii), while caring comparatively less about a 50% decline in local wild bee colonies. One can thus hypothesize that an actual local pollinator decline may have made Chanthaburi farmers more aware of the importance of conserving native bees, while paradoxically making them more independent from the provision of wild pollination services, as they started managing crop pollination with stingless bees.
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.