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Die vorliegende Ausarbeitung beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, ob weibliche Führungskräfte aufgrund spezieller Führungskompetenzen auf den langfristigen Unternehmenserfolg einzahlen. Besondere Beachtung findet hierbei der Faktor der Emotionalen Intelligenz. Nach wie vor ist der Anteil weiblicher Führungskräfte auf deutschen Managementebenen auffallend gering. Um ein Verständnis für die Hintergründe dieser Thematik zu entwickeln, werden zunächst die Ursachen geschlechtsbedingter Differenzierungen erläutert. Die wesentlichen Erkenntnisse entstammen dem Bereich der Geschlechterforschung. Im Anschluss werden diese im Kontext der Führung beleuchtet. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt auf der Frage, ob und inwiefern sich ein potentieller weiblicher Führungsstil von der als männlich geltenden Führung unterscheidet. Im weiteren Verlauf des Artikels wird das Phänomen der Emotionalen Intelligenz im Detail betrachtet. Dieses gilt im Kontext der Führung seit geraumer Zeit als Erfolgsfaktor. Ob und inwiefern diese Annahme tatsächlich Bestand hat, soll daher zunächst herausgestellt werden. Abschließend wird geprüft, ob es sich bei der Emotionalen Intelligenz um eine vorwiegend weibliche Kompetenz handelt
This research paper discusses how RFID technology could improve current deposit bottle logistic processes in food retailing and which obstacles impede successful implementations. Research Methodology include desk research: Library, EBSCOhost, wiso.net, Google Scholar, Scientific Journals, Statista, SpringerLink. Implementation of RFID is potentially beneficial, but same obstacles remain outlook. To validate the conclusion further studying and practical proof of concept are necessary. Contributions: supply chain management, return logistics, food retail, beverage industry
In recent years, the retail virtual store has become the main trend in social services. More and more people tend to shop in retail virtual stores. With the development of 3D virtual reality, this trend is getting stronger and stronger. Therefore, the development prospect of virtual retail stores has attracted much attention. This paper examines the impact of companies' and users' popularization of helmet gadgets on in-store traffic and analyzes how virtual reality (VR) could enhance the customer experience throughout the shopping trip. A qualitative research design has been used, which also included conversations with both professionals and consumers. Moreover, this paper seeks to break new ground by attempting to use the current literature to help predict future directions and trends for online shopping.
Der Erbbauzins ist bei kommunalen Erbbaurechten sowohl eine zentrale Stellgröße für die Wirtschaftlichkeit als auch von kommunalwirtschafts- und beihilferechtlicher Relevanz. Er wird zumeist ermittelt, indem ein geeigneter Erbbauzinssatz auf den Bodenwert angelegt wird. Der Erbbauzinssatz sollte dabei marktgerecht sein. Sowohl die Ableitung des Erbbauzinssatzes aus dem Primärmarkt (erstmalige Ausgabe von Erbbaurechten) wie aus dem Sekundärmarkt (Weiterverkäufe) ist aber zumindest bei Erbbaurechten für Mehrfamilienhäuser derzeit kaum sinnvoll zu diesem Zwecke durchzuführen. Auch der Liegenschaftszinssatz ist ungeeignet, da er aus einem Modell für Volleigentum mit einer vollkommen anderen Risiko-/Rendite-Konstellation abgeleitet wird. Daher wird für eine stärkere Anwendung ökonomisch basierter Verfahren plädiert und hierbei ein kapitalmarktorientiertes Mark-to-Model-Verfahren dargestellt. Erste überschlägige Ermittlungen legen zudem die Orientierung an langfristigen Baufinanzierungssätzen als Daumenregel nahe. Regelmäßig dürften von Kommunen für die Ermittlung von marktgerechten Erbbauzinssätzen öffentlich bestellte und vereidigte oder zertifizierte Grundstückssachverständige betraut werden, denen die betreffenden Verfahren jedoch oftmals fremd sind. Auch stellt sich die Frage nach der Zulässigkeit, da sie sich als Best Practice-Verfahren bislang nicht etabliert haben. Daher wäre dem Gesetz- bzw. Verordnungsgeber anzuraten, die Ermittlung marktgerechter Erbbauzinssätze ausdrücklich zu regeln und dabei jenseits von Mark-to-Market-Verfahren weitere geeignete ökonomisch gestützte Methoden wie auch empirisch abgesicherte „Daumenregeln“ zuzulassen.
Thailand’s power system has been facing an energy transition due to the increasing amount of Renewable Energy (RE) integration, prosumers with self-consumption, and digitalization-based business models in a Local Energy Market (LEM). This paper introduces a decentralized business model and a possible trading platform for electricity trading in Thailand’s Micro-Grid to deal with the power system transformation. This approach is Hybrid P2P, a market structure in which sellers and buyers negotiate on energy exchanging by themselves called Fully P2P trading or through the algorithm on the market platform called Community-based trading. A combination of Auction Mechanism (AM), Bill Sharing (BS), and Traditional Mechanism (TM) is the decentralized price mechanism proposed for the Community-based trading. The approach is validated through a test case in which, during the daytime, the energy import and export of the community are significantly reduced when 75 consumers and 25 PV rooftop prosumers participate in this decentralized trading model. Furthermore, a comparison analysis confirms that the decentralized business model outperforms a centralized approach on community and individual levels.
Big Data is now poised to mutate decision-making systems. Indeed, the decision is no longer based solely on the structured information that was hitherto collected and stored by the organization, but also on all data not structured outside the corporate straitjacket. The cloud and the information it contains impacts decisions and the industry is witnessing the emergence of business intelligence 3.0. With the growth of the internet, social networks, connected objects and communication information are now more abundant than ever before, along with rapid and substantial growth in their production. In 2012, 2.5 exabytes of data (one exabyte representing a million gigabytes of data) came every day to swell the ranks of big data (McAfee et al., 2012), which should weigh more than 40 zettabytes from 2020 (Valduriez, 2014) for 30 billion connected devices (The Internet Of Nothings, 2014) and 50 billion sensors (Davenport & Soulard, 2014). One of the most critical aspects of all of this information flow is the impact these will have on the way decisions are made. Indeed, in the part of an environment in which data was scarce and difficult to obtain, it was logical to let decision-making be conditioned by the intuition of the experienced decision-maker (Klein, Phillips, Rall, & Peluso, 2007). However, since information and knowledge are now available to everyone, the role of experts and decision-makers is gradually changing. Big data, in particular, makes it possible for analytical and decision-making systems to base their decision-making on global models. However, considering all the dimensions of the situations encountered, it was not until now that these systems were not within the reach of man, but were rationally limited (Simon & Newell, 1971). Big data and however, the processing of unstructured data requires modifying the architecture of decision support systems (DSS) of organizations. This paper is an inventory of developments undergone by aid systems decision-making, under the pressure of big data. Finally, it opens the debate on ethical questions raised by these new technologies, and it is observed that now, data analysis of personal data has become more debatable than in the past.
The integration of genetic algorithms to optimize the networks of value chains could enormously improve the performance of supply chains. For this reason, this paper describes in more detail the application of genetic algorithms in the value chains of the automotive industry. For this purpose, a theoretical model is built up to evaluate whether the application of the model can optimize the value chain. This option is described, analyzed and its restrictions are shown. Instead of looking at the entire network, individual finished goods and their bill of material are used as a basis for optimization, which greatly reduces the complexity of the original problem. The original complexity of the supply chain networks can thus be reduced and considered based on the bill of material.
For a detailed discussion of process mining, the objective of this paper is the analysis of the successful implementation of process mining in the practical fields of supply chain management. The research comprises the investigation of use cases in companies that are already actively using process mining.
Purpose: This research aims to highlight the applicability of process mining in the supply chain management business field.
Research Methodology: In order to examine the applicability of process mining in supply chain management a research study was conducted among experts in this business field. Further, theoretical findings were compared to the results and evaluated.
Results: Process Mining can be applied very well in the SCM area. The advantages that arise primarily reflect significant potential benefits and improved process throughput times. The information that can be gained from the operational areas supported by process mining is suitable for reliable decisions, both in the tactical and strategic areas.
Limitations: The results on the application of process mining show a certain generalization and have to be adapted and adjusted to the respective application case.
Contribution: This study is useful, especially for the purchasing and logistics business area.
A study of industry 4.0 technologies in the John Deere and Company and their impact on company operations is presented in this paper. Deere and Company’s implementation of Industry 4.0 to its factories and its factors was the focus of the research. The literature review with the systematic approach as well as a comprehensive review of current John Deere and Company’s developments is used in the current study. Also, it relied on freely available information on the company website. Public and investor relations have also been used as credible sources of information. An analysis found that adopting industry 4.0 technologies to agriculture manufacturing results in higher quality products, increased productivity, safety, and wider acceptance among stakeholders. This study assumes full implementation of these technologies in all agriculture manufacturing companies, and it also emphasizes up-to-date technologies. Studying this topic can be useful for engineers in mechanical and agricultural fields, managers in business, and marketers.
The aim of the study is to find out how SMEs used Social Media during Corona and how customers received it, to determine what should be continued or avoided by SMEs in the future. In this study, an interpretivist approach was adopted through problem-centred interviews with three SMEs. The second part of the study used an objectivist approach, where an online-based survey with a purpose sampling was conducted. The results were evaluated by means of thematic analysis.The SMEs interviewed considered Social Media essential during Corona. This was due to limited resources and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the situation. For customers a Social Media presence is also considered indispensable, and that the followership is based on the desire for the latest information. However, it also became clear that the survey participants do not believe the information on Social Media and prefer information on the website or at the location itself. No answers could be found about how the experts would answer sans or post Corona. Furthermore, due to anonymisation efforts, it was not possible to clarify the attitude of the survey participants specifically to the individual SMEs.
Sowohl der stationäre Handel als auch die Online Pure Player befinden sich durch die zunehmende Digitalisierung und die Beeinflussung durch die dynamisch veränderten Trends in einem Wandel. Insbesondere wird von der Möbelbranche ein adaptives Verhalten an die vorliegenden Entwicklungen verlangt. Durch die Intensivierung der Markt- und Wettbewerbslandschaften und die Veränderungen des Verbraucherverhaltens bezüglich der verlangten Verschmelzung der Einkaufskanäle wird ein Umdenken gefordert und notwendig. Zusätzlich wird diese Notwendigkeit durch aktuelle Gegebenheiten, wie die Covid-19-Pandemie dringlicher. Die Omnichannel-Strategie und deren Etablierung birgt für die Möbelbranche insbesondere hinsichtlich der logistischen Herausforderungen Gelegenheiten und Bedrohungen. Diese sind zu erkennen, zu nutzen und zu beheben.
Agility and digital trends go hand in hand, but the advantages of digitalization perform a high pressure on the established automotive companies. For years now, automotive groups have no longer been innovation drivers in the industry. This status is reserved for radical companies like Tesla. But is there any chance that conservative companies will reinvent themselves, establish leaner structures and thus regain market dominance and innovation?
E-commerce live streaming - An emerging industry in China and a potential future trend in the world
(2021)
With the widespread use of the Internet, many industries have developed rapidly. The economy based on the Internet poses a significant threat to the traditional economy. Live streaming plus e-commerce, which is acknowledged as the current global economic status, is the result of combing live streaming and various industries through the Internet. E-commerce live streaming is one of the most essential types of online live streaming. In this article, it is defined as the live streaming of the e-commerce platform used by Key Opinion Leaders or product sellers through the built-in live streaming function of the platform to propagate goods, brands, events, etc. to achieve goals of brand exposure and product sales. Compared with the traditional economic model, the combined model of e-commerce and live streaming has its advantages and characteristics. This kind of marketing tool is now prevalent. However, there are many deficiencies in e-commerce live streaming that need to be improved since the development of e-commerce is immature and supervision of Internet use is ongoing.
This study will describe how the robotics industry evolved increasingly and a new phase of advanced robotics has emerged, and the relation between humans and robots in the same workplace. Problems of designing safer robots in human-machine interaction systems are urgent research topics in the field of industrial robotics. Many of the problems in industrial robotics are related not just to technological issues, but also to human-robot collaboration also will be discussed as an effective method to tackle this issue is the invention of Collaborative robots.
Unternehmen verlassen sich bei der Entwicklung von Software und Lösungen häufig auf das Know-How externer Dienstleister. Moderne Arbeits- und Kollaborationsformen verändern gleichzeitig die Entwicklung von Produkten und Dienstleistungen. Wie beeinflussen diese Trends die Zusammenarbeit und Kooperation zwischen Unternehmen und ihren externen agilen Dienstleistern? Ziel dieser wissenschaftlichen Arbeit ist es herauszufinden, welche Schritte unternehmen müssen, um agiles Arbeiten und die Zusammenarbeit mit externen Dienstleistern umzusetzen. Daher wurde anhand einer Fallstudie inklusive einer qualitativen Befragung herausgefunden und aufgezeigt, welche Maßnahmen und Handlungen Unternehmen ergreifen müssen, um das Ziel einer effektiven Umsetzung einer agilen Zusammenarbeit und Kooperation zu erreichen. Drei Kernthemen wurden identifiziert, auf deren Grundlage die Forschungsfragen zu den Maßnahmen beantwortet werden: Erstens, welche Möglichkeiten Unternehmen haben, ein internes agiles Setup zu implementieren, um mit agilen Dienstleistern auf Augenhöhe zusammenzuarbeiten. Zweitens, welche Vertragsvarianten die agile Zusammenarbeit unterstützen und verbessern können und drittens, welche agilen Techniken und Methoden in der agilen Zusammenarbeit eingesetzt werden sollten. Die Ergebnisse der Fallstudien bestätigen die Annahme, dass die drei identifizierten Kernthemen für eine effektive Zusammenarbeit im agilen Umfeld essenziell sind. Während einerseits nachgewiesen wurde, dass sich die Vertragsanforderungen hinsichtlich ihrer Flexibilität und Anpassungsfähigkeit veränderten, wurde andererseits auch nachgewiesen, dass das interne Setup agile Treiber, Techniken und Methoden erfordert, um eine effektive Zusammenarbeit mit agilen Dienstleistern zu ermöglichen. Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Inhalte innerhalb der drei genannten Kernthemen und gibt Unternehmen zudem Hinweise, wie sie eine Basis für eine effektive Zusammenarbeit schaffen können.
In relation to the fast development of e-commerce and rapid increasing of parcels, urban logistic sector is facing the challenge of sustainability. Especially, last-mile delivery as the last step of goods transport, it connects to customers’ satisfaction, cost efficiency of logistic companies, and more and more public expectations to sustainability of urban logistics. To handle with the complexity of urban logistics conditions, governments and logistics companies should develop a co-operating strategy for sustainability of urban last-mile delivery. This paper is based on data collection from the long-term empirical research and a survey to the e-commerce users in Germany and China to develop a sustainable concept for the urban last-mile delivery. The key to the development of concept is to create a balance among the requirements of customers, the competition abilities of logistics companies and the public interest.
Purpose: Grounded in the theoretical concepts of utilitarianism and deontology, this paper aims to evaluate the issue of child labour from an ethics perspective. By linking utilitarianism with normative stakeholder theory, relevant stakeholder groups are being identified in order to examine their influence on and role in the occurrence of child labour allowing for a practical reference. The findings may serve companies in particular as a basis for decision-making in the development of their value chains.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The author uses a literature review in order to analyze the findings of existing literature on the topic of child labour in an ethics context, thereby drawing on literature, indexed in Web of Science and Google Scholar by employing forward and backward citation analysis.
Findings: The investigation of child labour in terms of ethics yields conflicting results. From a deontological perspective, child labour can never be ethical and should always be rejected as it is not wanted to become a general law. In contrast, according to a utilitarian sentiment, child labour is ethically justifiable as long as the beneficiaries of the labour are greater in number than the children working or suffering.
Originality/Value: The examination of child labour from the perspective of deontology and utilitarianism in conjunction with normative stakeholder theory constitutes a novelty in the ethics literature. The integration of theoretical findings into a practical business context provides additional value for managers and global supply chain managers.
Objective: The objective of the article highlight the significance of culture in the entrepreneurial landscape and provides entrepreneurs and (project) managers with a guidance tool to overcome previously unconsidered stumbling blocks while operating in the intercultural setting.
Research Design & Methods: The following article was prepared based on a critical study review devoted to existing approaches to intercultural impact in business life and used the archival technique from 1990-2020. The study review reflects on the identification of existing literature gaps in the implementation of a subcultural business environment. It addresses these by designing an appropriate model to bypass the apparent pitfalls of intercultural business communication and co-existence, if possible.
Findings: Culture impacts diverse sets of society and businesses, including entrepreneurship. This article underpins which pitfalls are advisable to consider when encountering the intercultural and entrepreneurship-driven workplace.
Implications & Recommendations: Based on the study review, startups, as well as big corporate companies’ projects of a creational nature, are advised to reconsider their perception and handling of culture applying The Building of Cultural and Entrepreneurial Force.
Contribution & Value Added: The added value of this article is to be found in the solid analysis of cultural essentialism, anti-essentialism, and implications to beware of in the managerial and entrepreneurial context related to The Building of Intercultural and Entrepreneurial Force that intends to ease to co-work of intercultural teams.
This text will explain which role “Green Bonds” play in financing projects and how the green factor is weighted. It will be discussed on how the term “green” can change the price of the bond, if there is a “green premium” and for which group of investors this type of bond is interesting. We will discuss ways to reduce their cost of capital, also considering the risks and on ways on how to improve their conditions. The sustainable and eco-friendly aspects are also highlighted in this text and they might become crucial in future investing, which gives the bond an interesting role.
The dark side of Samsung’s value chain: The human costs of cobalt mining “BLOOD, SWEAT AND COBALT”
(2021)
Samsung has been implicitly linked to human rights abuses and wider social downgrading propagated within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reports by different studies have shown artisanal cobalt mines (ASM) to exploit child labour and subject workers to perilous conditions. The IT multinational is dependent upon Congolese cobalt as a key element in lithiumion batteries used to produce their array of electronics. However, irresponsible cobalt sourcing practices undertaken by Tier 1 suppliers, Glencore and Huayou, have resulted in ASM operations being incorporated into Samsung’s global value chain, as Tier 2 suppliers. Analysis of the relationships underpinning Samsung’s cobalt value chain theoretical framework, highlights the presence of a relational governance structure, with captive elements among upstream Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. Samsung is thereby reliant upon both Glencore and Huayou to transmit and enforce private codes of conduct down the value chain to expel human rights abuses. In conjunction, the DRC’s weak and unstable institutional environment has facilitated corruption and the improper enforcement of laws across the ASM industry. It is thereby imperative that Samsung takes ownership of the issues present within its value chain, as both Tier 1 suppliers and the Congolese government have failed to ensure responsible cobalt sourcing practices to date. This report recommends that Samsung adopt a holistic action plan, not only utilising their own resources and capabilities, but also those of critical stakeholders including Tier 1 suppliers, NGOs and the DRC and South Korean governments. Most prominently, this report suggests that supply chain transparency can be improved using certificates of origin and blockchain technology. Furthermore, it is recommended that poverty alleviation is targeted as a key measure through “Cobalt for Development”, an action plan designed to instigate both social and economic upgrading within ASM operations and the wider community. By employing a multi-scalar approach and addressing the issues inherent across multiple governance levels, Samsung can ensure a responsible source of cobalt be sustained.
Reasons and potential solution approaches for the shortage of nursing staff in German hospitals
(2021)
The aim of this scientific paper was to find out the reasons for the shortage of nursing staff in German hospitals and to provide potential solution approaches for this shortage. Over the last years, the shortage of nursing staff has become a more and more important topic in the news: Not only due to the increasing amount of missing nurses, but also due to the ageing population in Germany, which leads to an increasing amount of patients in German hospitals. To reach this aim two surveys were done, of which one was for nursing staff only and the other one was for people from all occupational groups with the intention of creating comparative values. The surveys were done from March to April 2019 and were analysed afterwards. After a detailed analysis of the survey results, it can be summarized that the reasons for the shortage of nursing staff in German hospitals are very diverse: Starting with a weak salary, improvable working conditions – for example the shift work and the high amount of physical and psychological stress -, a difficult compatibility of family and job as well as the unattractive image of the job as a nurse in the society. It can be concluded that the solution for the shortage of nursing staff is very difficult. The future will show whether the governmental support will help to make the job as a nurse more attractive – not only for the current nurses, but also for potential future nurses.
Aim: The aim of this scientific paper was to examine important trends and developments influencing the nursing care in order to forecast future opportunities and challenges and how to deal with them in the best possible way.
Background: The Corona-pandemic demonstrated the importance of nursing care in the entire world and had drawn attention to the issue of a well-educated and enough nursing staff. The nursing care will face opportunities and challenges due to current trends and developments, which are important to examine in order to provide the best possible nursing care.
Methods: To reach the above-mentioned aim, intensive research was done by using secondary sources and surveys.
Results/Findings: After a detailed analysis of the research it can be summarized that there are three important topics influencing the nursing care: The demographical development with an increasing life expectancy leading to an increasing amount of old people with a demand for care and decreasing birth rates leading to less working people. Cultural transformation and diversity imply many opportunities because the employment market can fill gaps with foreign workers and the immigrating people can compensate the decreasing birth rates. Nevertheless, it can imply many challenges and potential problems which need to be solved by the society and the immigrating people. Furthermore, the changing gender roles can lead to more men becoming a nurse, which might have a significant impact on the shortage of nursing staff. The third important topic influencing the nursing care is technological trends which can help to decrease physiological stress, by facilitating the nurses’ work and by taking over some work from them.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that the trends and developments influencing the nursing care are very diverse and imply many different opportunities as well as challenges.
E-commerce has been keeping fast increasing worldwide since beginning of the 21st century. Rapid growth of e-commerce & parcel shipping is a booming business. However, how to handle with many hard-to-solve sustainability issues of transport in urban areas, is becoming a serious challenge for urban logistic sector and numerous stakeholders. The sustainability issues contain the problems of air pollution, congestion, and sub-contractors. This paper reported those issues in the context of growth of e-commerce and analyzed their efforts on the sustainable urban logistics development.
Bauprojekte sind in der Regel komplexe Vorhaben. Sie werden mit Hilfe des Projektmanagements und dessen Verfahren, Prozessen und Techniken bewältigt. Dennoch sind deutsche Bauprojekte nicht selten von Kosten- und Terminüberschreitungen betroffen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, mögliche Optimierungsfelder im Planungs- und Steuerungsprozess eines Unternehmens für Industriebauprojekte zu identifizieren und darauf aufbauende Verbesserungsansätze zu erarbeiten. Um die Ziele verfolgen zu können, wurde eine qualitative Sozialforschung mittels Experteninterviews durchgeführt. Die Expertenaussagen verdeutlichen weiterhin Optimierungspotenzial, sowohl im Planungs- als auch im Steuerungsprozess. Ausgewählte Techniken (hauptsächlich aus dem klassischen Projektmanagement) dienen indessen dazu, die Effektivität und Effizienz des Planungsprozesses zu erhöhen. Innerhalb des Steuerungsprozesses zeigt sich, dass viele Optimierungsbereiche der Steuerung auf den Defiziten der Planung beruhen.
In der seit 2009 andauernden Niedrigzinsphase ging der Anteil der Kapitaleinkommen am Volkseinkommen zurück. Da sich der Anteil des Faktors Arbeit nicht wesentlich veränderte, gewann der Produktionsfaktor Boden an Bedeutung. In der Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnung spiegelt sich dies jedoch nicht wider, da der Boden dort nicht gesondert ausgewiesen wird. Mithilfe des Henry-George-Theorems wird versucht, eine Methode zu entwickeln, die den Anteil des Faktors Boden quantifiziert. Der explizite Ausweis des Bodeneinkommens in der Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnung könnte dazu beitragen, die Rolle dieses vernachlässigten Faktors zu korrigieren.
Irrigated paddy rice agriculture accounts for a major share of Asia Pacific’s total water withdrawal. Furthermore, climate change induced water scarcity in the Asia-Pacific region is projected to intensify in the near future. Therefore, methods to reduce water consumption through efficiency measures are needed to ensure the long-term (water) sustainability. The irrigation systems, subak of Karangasem, Indonesia, and the tameike of Kunisaki, Japan, are two examples of sustainable paddy rice irrigation. This research, through interviews and an extensive survey, comparatively assessed the socio-environmental sustainability of the two irrigation management systems with special reference to the intensity and nature of social capital, equity of water distribution, water demand, water footprint, and water quality, etc. The prevailing social capital paradigm of each system was also compared to its overall managerial outcomes to analyze how cooperative action contributes to sustainable irrigation management. Both systems show a comparable degree of sustainable irrigation management, ensuring an equitable use of water, and maintain relatively fair water quality due to the land-use practices adapted. However, the systems differ in water demand and water efficiency principally because of the differences in the irrigation management strategies: human and structural. These findings could help devise mechanisms for transitioning to sustainable irrigation management in the commercially-oriented paddy rice agricultural systems across the Asia-Pacific region.
Since tangible assets of companies are becoming increasingly insignificant, emphasis should rather be placed on human capital as an essential source of competitive edge. This paper, accordingly, pursues the purpose to shed light on the major demands that the Millenials place on their prospective employers. In consequence, the work aims to identify attractiveness factors that German retailers should particularly promote in order to succeed in the war for talents and attract the most promising candidates among the German Gen Y. This work is based on a mixed-methods approach. First, interviews with German retail experts as well as generational keynote speakers were conducted in order to obtain a deep understanding and assessment of the German retail landscape from a professional perspective. The insights gained were subsequently used to design a questionnaire, which distribution led to a final sample of 216 useable responses by Millenials. Furthermore, the data obtained by interviewing experts and the survey was subsequently compared in order to evaluate to what extent the expectations of the Millenials correspond to the experts’ assessment. This study reveals Millenials to be driven by the need for growth, such as wide offers of development opportunities or scope for decision when choosing an employer. Among the relatedness needs, a harmonious working environment is particularly important, whereas a weekend off ranks first among the existential needs. Moreover, male Millenials consider Media Markt being the most popular employer in the German retail sector, while dm is preferred from a female perspective. Overall, employers of the German retail sector provide the majority of factors required by the Millenials, yet are only considered the 4th most popular industry behind the automotive, IT, art and entertainment industries. Our findings provide valuable practical implications as the research results might serve companies to build up a target group specific employer brand. Marketing strategies can be aligned with the identified attractiveness factors to efficiently and cost-effectively attract and bind Millenials to the company. Customized recruiting campaigns enhance the appeal as well as the attractiveness of an employer driving the likelihood of obtaining the strived status: Employer of Choice. To the best of the author’s knowledge, no study has yet dealt specifically with the attractiveness factors demanded by the Millenials in the context of the German retail sector as well as their most aspired employers in this industry. Furthermore, the attractiveness factors identified in the literature were embedded in Aldefer’s ERG theory. This work also offers a bilateral perspective through the widely conducted survey carried out among Millenials, which was additionally expanded through the lens of experts.
Major financial institutions operate in different regions of the world facing different regulatory landscapes for Supply Chain risks. In this environment, the optimization issue arises how to best comply with the different regulations and reaching cost efficiency at the same time. In this research, the international regulatory landscape for Supply Chain risks of Financial Institutions is introduced and compared internationally. It is understood as an integral part of Supply Chain Risk Management of Financial Institutions, yet the latter is analysed as the research background. Additionally, expert interviews are conducted in order to link the regulation analysis to the current challenges that Financial Institutions face. Finally, recommendations are developed on how banks can be cost efficient, while remaining regulatory compliant, facing increased international regulation in the area of Supply Chain Risk Management. The outcome of the underlying research shows that banking regulation in the area of Supply Chain risks is an important lever in the banking sector to secure customers and financial markets. However, the regulatory landscape is heterogeneous and not consistent on an international scale. Regulation in Asia is highly diverse across different countries due to different states of economic development. The US applies a rather pragmatical approach towards supply chain risk regulation applying different standards of standard setting institutions. Lastly, the EU is very restrictive and strives to unify regulation across member states. Banks should follow a consistent management approach keeping in mind international locations and the strictest regulatory environment they are operating in, to improve cost efficiency yet being regulatory compliant. Also, collaboration with and amongst regulators and other banks internationally is recommended for improved cost efficiency.
Erbbaurechte werden in den letzten Jahren zwar wieder verstärkt verwendet, führen aber immer noch ein Nischendasein. Bei Erbbaurechten findet eine Aufspaltung der Eigentumsrechte an der Immobilie statt. Hierdurch entstehen einerseits zusätzliche Kontroll- und Durchsetzungskosten, andererseits auch Eingriffe in die Verfügungsrechte des Erbbauberechtigten. Beides führt zu Wertabschlägen, mit denen Volleigentum nicht belastet ist. Dies belastet sowohl die Rendite als auch die Möglichkeiten, bezahlbaren Wohnraum über Erbbaurechte zur Verfügung zu stellen. Hinzu kommen Nachteile bei der Veräußerbarkeit und der Beleihbarkeit von Erbbaurechten. Auf der anderen Seite können Erbbaurechte als ein Instrumentarium zur Reallokation von Investitionsrisiken auf den Erbbaurechtnehmer verstanden werden. Marktgerechtigkeit vorausgesetzt, sinken die Renditeforderungen der Erbbaurechtgeber stärker ab, als die Renditeforderungen der Erbbaurechtgeber ansteigen. Hierdurch entstehen u. U. beträchtliche Diskontierungsgewinne, die bei Volleigentum nicht generiert werden und die eine Überkompensation der Nachteile des Erbbaurechts bewirken können. Allerdings erlaubt es die Art und Weise, wie in Deutschland Erbbaurechte angewandt werden aber nicht, diesen potenziellen Mehrwert tatsächlich auszuschöpfen. Es werden Modelle aufgezeigt, die diese Anwendungsprobleme auf einfache Weise beheben.
Driven by falling photovoltaic (PV) installation costs and potential support policies, rooftop PV is expected to expand rapidly in Thailand. As a result, the relevant stakeholders, especially utilities, have concerns about the net economic impacts of high PV adoption. Using a cost–benefit analysis, this study quantifies the net economic impacts of rooftop PV systems on three utilities and on ratepayers in Thailand by applying nine different PV adoption scenarios with various buyback rates and annual percentages of PV cost reduction. Under Thailand’s current electricity tariff structure, Thai utilities are well-protected and able to pass all costs due to PV onto the ratepayers in terms of changes in retail rates. We find that when PV adoption is low, the net economic impacts on both the utilities and retail rates are small and the impacts on each utility depend on its specific characteristics. On the other hand, when PV adoption ranges from 9–14% in energy basis, five-year retail rate impacts become noticeable and are between 6% and 11% as compared to the projected retail rates in 2036 depending on the PV adoption level. Thus, it is necessary for Thailand to make tradeoffs among the stakeholders and maximize the benefits of rooftop PV adoption.
Resource prospects of municipal solid wastes generated in the Ga East Municipal Assembly of Ghana
(2017)
Background: Municipal solid wastes management has recently become an important public health concern. Municipal solid wastes are a major source of raw materials that could be used for resource recovery for diverse applications.
Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the composition of municipal solid waste and recoverable resources from the waste of the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA) in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.
Methods: An exploratory approach was used to collect pertinent data from the Abloradgei dumpsite in GEMA using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion. A field characterization study was undertaken to segregate and estimate the value of various components of collected waste. Dumpsite workers were asked about current general composition of MSW, mode of collection and disposal, record of sanitation-related diseases, use of modern treatment plant, waste management legislation and enforcement challenges, number of trucks received by the dumpsite per day, record on pretreatment of MSW before disposal, and use of personnel protective equipment.
Results: The results showed that significant proportions (48.8%) of the municipal solid wastes were organic materials, while the remaining (51.2%) were inorganic materials. The results also showed that 63% of the municipal solid waste is collected with no sorting from the source and no modern treatment applied before dumping. It was estimated that the value of the recyclable materials in GEMA municipal solid waste amounts to Ghana Cedis (GH¢) 9,381,960 (plastic); 985,111 (mixed glass); 5,160,078 (paper) and 11,586,770 (metal) with a total of GH¢ 27,113,919 ($10,845,568) equivalent to 2,106,339.2 m3 (74,384,667.5 ft3) per annum of biogas from these components with a market value of GH¢ 1,997,972.17 ($768, 393.62); 11,579 Mwh (1.32 Mw) of electricity and 9,535 Mwh (1.09 Mw) of heat. This is estimated to be lost with the current waste management practices.
Conclusions: We recommend that GEMA institute sustainable recycling practices and utilization of biogas production technologies and prioritize sanitation and waste management education for the public, obligate home segregation of waste materials, involve workers by providing them with protective clothing, incorporate informal waste collectors and scavengers into the new system and collaborate with research institutions in waste-to-resource projects to ensure a more sustainable waste management system in the municipality.
Driven by decreasing PV and energy storage prices, increasing electricity costs and policy supports from Thai government (self-consumption era), rooftop PV and energy storage systems are going to be deployed in the country rapidly that may disrupt existing business models structure of Thai distribution utilities due to revenue erosion and lost earnings opportunities. The retail rates that directly affect ratepayers (non-solar customers) are expected to increase. This paper focuses on a framework for evaluating impacts of PV with and without energy storage systems on Thai distribution utilities and ratepayers by using cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Prior to calculation of cost/benefit components, changes in energy sales need to be addressed. Government policies for the support of PV generation will also help in accelerating the rooftop PV installation. Benefit components include avoided costs due to transmission losses and deferring distribution capacity with appropriate PV penetration level, while cost components consist of losses in revenue, program costs, integration costs and unrecovered fixed costs. It is necessary for Thailand to compare total costs and total benefits of rooftop PV and energy storage systems in order to adopt policy supports and mitigation approaches, such as business model innovation and regulatory reform, effectively.
In Deutschland findet die Gestaltung von Erbbaurechtsverträgen sehr oft unter politischen Gesichtspunkten, aber wenig am Markt orientiert statt. Die Akzeptanz des Erbbaurechts leidet hierunter. Eine wichtige Rolle spielt dabei die Festlegung des Erbbauzinses, der angesichts des niedrigen Zinsniveaus oft als unangemessen empfunden wird. Andererseits stellt sich die Ableitung „marktgerechter“ Erbbauzinsen im Vergleichswege schwierig dar. Im Beitrag wird daher ein praxisbezogener, auf der Kapitalmarkttheorie basierender Ansatz für die Festlegung marktgerechter Erbbauzinsen dargestellt. Wichtig ist dabei die Verschiebung der Rendite/Risiko-Position, die sich aufgrund der Bestellung von Erbbaurechten gegenüber Volleigentum ergibt. Sowohl der Erbbauverpflichtete wie auch der Erbbauberechtigte dürfen sich diesbezüglich nicht schlechter als bei Volleigentum stellen. Diese Anforderung wird durch die Sharpe Ratio konkretisiert. Damit sich der Erbbauberechtigte nicht gegenüber Volleigentum verschlechtert, bedarf es einer „Subventionierung“ seiner Rendite. Es wird gezeigt, dass dies durch den Erbbauberechtigten ohne Einbußen in seiner Rendite/Risiko-Position gegenüber Volleigentum geschehen kann. Auf Grundlage dieser Überlegungen werden Mindestrenditeforderungen für den Erbbauberechtigten und Höchstsätze für den Erbbauverpflichteten kalkuliert, die sich auf die Bodenwerte beziehen.
A common answer to the financial challenges of green transformation and the shortcomings of the current taxation system is the “double dividend approach”. Environmental taxes should either feed the public purse in order to remove other distorting taxes, or directly contribute to financing green transformation. Germany adopted the former approach. However, this article argues, by using the example of Germany, that “good taxes” in terms of public finance should be neutral in terms of environmental protection and vice versa. Neutral taxation in terms of environmental impacts can be best achieved by applying the “Henry George principle”. Additionally, neutral taxation in terms of public finance is best achieved if the revenues from environmental taxes are redistributed to the citizens as an ecological basic income. Thus, distortive effects of environmental charges in terms of distribution and political decision-making might be removed. However, such a financial framework could be introduced step by step, starting with a tax shift.
With less than 6% of total global water resources but one fifth of the global population, China is facing serious challenges for its water resources management, particularly in rural areas due to the long-standing urban-rural dualistic structure and the economic-centralized developmental policies. This paper addresses the key water crises in rural China including potable water supply, wastewater treatment and disposal, water for agricultural purposes, and environmental concerns, and then analyzes the administrative system on water resources from the perspective of characteristics of the current administrative system and regulations; finally, synthetic approaches to solve water problems in rural China are proposed with regard to institutional reform, regulation revision, economic instruments, technology innovation and capacity-building. These recommendations provide valuable insights to water managers in rural China so that they can identify the most appropriate pathways for optimizing their water resources, reducing the total wastewater discharge and improving their water-related ecosystem.
This paper analyzed the characteristic of the tourism destination ecosystem from perspective of entropy in Dunhuang City. Given these circumstances, an evaluation index system that considers the potential of sustainable development was formed based on dissipative structure and entropy change for the tourism destination ecosystem. The sustainable development potential evaluation model for tourism destination ecosystem was built up based on information entropy. Then, we analyzed each indicator impact for the sustainable development potential and proposed some measures for the tourism destination ecosystem. The conclusions include: (a) the requirements of Dunhuang tourism destination ecosystem on the natural ecosystem continuously grew between 2000 and 2012; (b) The sustainable development potential of the Dunhuang tourism destination ecosystem was on an oscillation upward trend during the study period, which is dependent on government attention, and pollution problems were improved.
Integrated analysis on socio-economic metabolism could provide a basis for understanding and optimizing regional sustainability. The paper conducted socio-economic metabolism analysis by means of the emergy accounting method coupled with data envelopment analysis and decomposition analysis techniques to assess the sustainability of Qingyang city and its eight sub-region system, as well as to identify the major driving factors of performance change during 2000–2007, to serve as the basis for future policy scenarios. The results indicate that Qingyang greatly depended on non-renewable emergy flows and feedback (purchased) emergy flows, except the two sub-regions, named Huanxian and Huachi, which highly depended on renewable emergy flow. Zhenyuan, Huanxian and Qingcheng were identified as being relatively emergy efficient, and the other five sub-regions have potential to reduce natural resource inputs and waste output to achieve the goal of efficiency. The results of decomposition analysis show that the economic growth, as well as the increased emergy yield ratio and population not accompanied by a sufficient increase of resource utilization efficiency are the main drivers of the unsustainable economic model in Qingyang and call for polices to promote the efficiency of resource utilization and to optimize natural resource use.
The services sector is also called “tertiary sector” and has become increasingly important in the last few decades. The process of this structural change occurrence is characterized by a significant increase in employment in the services sector. On the other hand, the former economic importance in traditional areas, such as agriculture and forestry, as well as manufacturing, is declining. In this article the research field of the service sector is shown beginning from the 70s up to the present. The goal of the article is to demonstrate the necessity of service engineering research.
Issues on climate change have been recognized as serious challenges for regional sustainable development both at a global and local level. Given the background that most of the artificial carbon emissions are resulted from the energy consumption sector and the energy is also the key element resource for economic development, this paper investigated the relationship between CO2 emission, fossil energy consumption, and economic growth in the period 1970–2008 of nine European countries, based on the approach of Granger Causality Test, followed by the risk analysis on impacts of CO2 reduction to local economic growth classified by the indicator of causality degree. The results show that there are various feedback causal relationships between carbon emission, energy consumption and economic growth, with both unidirectional and dual-directional Granger causality. The impact of reducing CO2 emission to economic growth varies between countries as well.
Many SMEs still face a problematic fact that their corporate structures and processes are not designed for efficient development and market positioning and there is a lack of appropriate methods and tools. SMEs are often inefficiently targeted to the internal or external demands for services. The goal of the research regarding contents and methodology was to investigate the practice of strategic planning and the implementation and application of service engineering in young SMEs on the one hand, and on the other hand specifically for young SMEs, whose performance and the probability of success can be increased by its application. These two goals have been achieved.
Water is crucial for socio-economic development and healthy ecosystems. With the actual population growth and in view of future water scarcity, development calls for improved sectorial allocation of groundwater and surface water for domestic, agricultural and industrial use. Instead of intensifying the pressure on water resources, leading to conflicts among users and excessive pressure on the environment, sewage effluents, after pre-treatment, provide an alternative nutrient-rich water source for agriculture in the vicinity of cities. Water scarcity often occurs in arid and semiarid regions affected by droughts and large climate variability and where the choice of crop to be grown is limited by the environmental factors. Jatropha has been introduced as a potential renewable energy resource since it is claimed to be drought resistant and can be grown on marginal sites. Sewage effluents provide a source for water and nutrients for cultivating jatropha, a combined plant production/effluent treatment system. Nevertheless, use of sewage effluents for irrigation in arid climates carries the risk of salinization. Thus, potential irrigation with sewage effluents needs to consider both the water requirement of the crop and those needed for controlling salinity build-up in the top soil. Using data from a case study in Southern Morocco, irrigation requirements were calculated using CROPWAT 8.0. We present here crop evapotranspiration during the growing period, required irrigation, the resulting nutrient input and the related risk of salinization from the irrigation of jatropha with sewage effluent.
Many SMEs are still faced with the problematic fact that their corporate structures and processes are not designed for efficient development and market positioning and there is a lack of appropriate methods and tools. SMEs are often inefficiently targeted to the internal or external demands for services. The following key questions are answered in this article: 1) Which studies are available in terms of strategic planning in young SMEs? 2) Which aspects should be considered in the implementation and control of these instruments?
Most of the land reforms of recent decades have followed an approach of “formalization and capitalization” of individual land titles (de Soto 2000). However, within the privatization agenda, benefits of unimproved land (such as land rents and value capture) are reaped privately by well-organized actors, whereas the costs of valorization (e.g., infrastructure) or opportunity costs of land use changes are shifted onto poorly organized groups. Consequences of capitalization and formalization include rent seeking and land grabbing. In developing countries, formal law often transpires to work in favor of the winners of the titling process and is opposed by the customary rights of the losers. This causes a lack of general acknowledgement of formalized law (which is made responsible for deprivation of livelihoods of vulnerable groups) and often leads to a clash of formal and customary norms. Countries may fall into a state of de facto anarchy and “de facto open access”. Encroachment and destruction of natural resources may spread. A reframing of development policy is necessary in order to fight these aberrations. Examples and evidence are provided from Cambodia, which has many features in common with other countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa in this respect.