Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Working Paper (6)
- Conference Proceeding (2)
- Report (2)
- Bachelor Thesis (1)
Language
- English (11) (remove)
Has Fulltext
- yes (11)
Keywords
- Europäische Union (2)
- 3D image processing (1)
- Arbitration (1)
- Asset administration shells (AAS) (1)
- Auftragsabwicklung (1)
- Betriebswirtschaftliches Studium (1)
- Brand analysis (1)
- Brand awareness (1)
- Brand equity (1)
- Brand image (1)
Open-Source Software (OSS) has played a central role in shaping the modern digital environment. Over the last five decades, many business models have evolved around value creation with OSS. However, there remains a noticeable hesitation among businesses, especially in German Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This thesis offers a comprehensive overview of essential aspects of business strategy, licensing, and community management related to OSS. Utilizing a taxonomy-based approach, we examine three case studies relevant to German SMEs, aiming to derive actionable insights for businesses considering active involvement in OSS. By integrating public data with insights from participating company decision-makers, this research raises evidence in support of certain business strategies: It highlights the importance of a tailored user segmentation strategy and careful calibration of free and commercial offerings. It suggests the importance of a symbiotic community relationship and a balanced approach towards community governance. The analysis also presents evidence indicating the resilience of the Direct-sale revenue mechanism, and conversely, the possible vulnerabilities of Infrastructure-based models to intermediation. The thesis concludes by discussing current OSS trends and suggesting strategies considering trends such as licensing challenges and emerging software supply chain threats.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are organic compounds consisting of carbon chains in which the hydrogen atoms are completely or partially replaced by fluorine atoms. The strong chemical bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms in PFAS lead to very stable substances with particularly useful properties such as chemical inertness, water repellency, lubricity, non-stick properties, fire resistance and heat resistance. However, they are not readily biodegradable and are therefore difficult to break down in the environment (Ye et al. 2015).
PFAS are used in many fields of application in industry and in end products, such as in industrial production, in seals, lubricants, packaging, metal coatings, in medical technology products, electronic devices, solar cells, fuel cells, batteries, in the construction sector and also in consumer products in textiles, cookware and cosmetics (Glüge et al. 2020, ECHA 2023). Due to their effects on the environment and humans and their persistence in the environment, PFAS are currently the subject of much debate and an initiative has been launched at EU level to potentially ban substances (ECHA 2023). Companies from Baden-Württemberg and all over Europe are now looking for substitutes for the use of PFAS in order to have alternatives available in the event of a possible substance ban.
This meta-study therefore provides an overview of possible substances and substance groups that have the potential to replace the technical functions of PFAS. This is analysed in depth using selected examples.
Using software tools based on artificial intelligence (AI), possible substitutes were identified and analysed in a structured manner. After analysing 35,246 scientific documents worldwide, 420 materials and their summary in 32 classes were identified for five participating well-known companies from Baden-Württemberg. After analysing the requirements of the participating companies in more detail, only a very limited number of potential substitutes could be identified that could partially replace PFAS as things stand today.
Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) are formed by a flexible and heterogeneous system architecture. Therefore, a comprehensive automation software design requires methods for creating and managing automation software variants. In scope of CPPS, existing approaches do not consider the design of variants combined with software structuring principles. In addition, information from Asset Administration Shells (AAS) is not used sufficiently. Therefore, we propose a novel approach for a comprehensive design of automation software variants based on a domain-specific language (DSL). Thereby, software structuring is provided by the use of several layers with different levels of abstraction. Automation software variants are defined on the mentioned abstraction layers using specific language elements. In order to determine appropriate variants of control programs for particular automation systems, information from AAS is used. Finally, the advantages of the proposed approach are demonstrated in the field of process engineering.
FPGA hardware design for plenoptic 3D image processing algorithm targeting a mobile application
(2021)
Over the past years, widespread use of applications based on 3D image processing has increased rapidly. It is being employed in various fields, such as research, medicine and automation. Plenoptic camera system is used to capture light-field that can be exploited to estimate the 3D depth of the scene. The respective algorithms consist of a large number of computation-intensive instructions. It eventually leads to the problem of large execution time of the algorithm. Moreover, they require substantial amount of memory cells for the storage of intermediate and final results. Desktop GPU based solutions are power intensive and therefore cannot be used in the mobile applications with low energy requirements. The idea presented in this paper is to use the FPGA based hardware design to improve the performance of a 3D depth estimation algorithm by utilizing the advantage of concurrent execution. The algorithm is implemented, evaluated and the results show that FPGA design reduces the respective execution time significantly.
The European legislation on the new media : an appropriate framework for the information economy?
(2004)
This paper analyzes the legal framework for telecommunications and the new media in the European Union. Based on an institutional economics model, the different levels of institutional interaction within the EU media regulation are explored. Compared to the US, the European market seems to possess comparable human resources and technical infrastructure. And even though the EU’s regulation philosophy is less market-friendly in the field of digital media, the overall per-formance of the legal framework is quite satisfactory. The reason for the relative smaller impact of IT investment for economic growth in Europe can be found in the less market-oriented institutions in the surrounding business environment and strong restrictions on the labor markets.
The term "global brand" has become widely used by the media and by consumers. Business week publishes annually its widely known ranking of the "Best Global Brands" (with Coca-Cola as number 1 in the past years) and consumers on summer vacations purchase brands such as Heineken or Marlboro they are familiar with from their home country. Although media and consumers call these brands "global" and centralized marketing departments manage these brands globally – are these "global brands" really global? Are they really perceived everywhere in the same way by the customers? Can we talk about truly global brand equity? And if there were brand image differences between countries, which factors causes them? The authors conducted an empirical research during May and June 2009 with similarly aged University students (bachelor students at business school) in Germany (n=426) and Mexico (n=296). The goal was to identify if brand awareness rates differ between Germans and Mexicans, if the brand image of Apple iPod is perceived in the same way in Germany and in Mexico and what influencing factors might have an impact on any brand image discrepancy between the countries. Results prove that brand recall rates differ between the two countries (with higher rates in Mexico) as well as brand image attributes vary significantly (28 out of 34 brand image attributes are significantly different between Germany and Mexico), with Mexico showing higher levels of favorable brand image attributes. Key influencing factors on the different brand image perceptions are perceived quality, satisfaction and the influence of reference groups (such as friends and family). The results suggest that so-called "global brands" are not perceived the same way in Germany and Mexico. As a consequence, brand management using standardized marketing instruments for its presumable "global brands" might be better off with a more differentiated approach that takes account a specific local brand image.
In 2000, the European Council set its sights on becoming the world’s top knowledge-based economy. To that end, they aimed to achieve a goal of spending 3% of GDP on research and development by 2010. Their Lisbon Strategy recommended a number of efforts on the European Union and national levels, including encouragement of public-private collaboration. Examination at the regional level indicates the need for R&D and innovation policy to help stimulate growth. Current theory turns attention to the effect of system failure in the regions.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research developed a typology for the regions of the European Union. Using performance results, this paper identifies US states that correlate to the typology. Comparative analysis of these states based on key industries and actors, major programs and instruments, successes, failures, impact of federal programs, and best practices then informs discussion of the implications on policymaking.
If regional variances represent the most important factor influencing the development of an appropriate policy mix, local specializations, along with regionalized institutional factors, must be considered when codifying the main objectives for policymakers, such as stimulating the efficiency of the system, encouraging dynamic connection among the actors, and reducing the risk of lock-in. This, in turn, affects selection of the instruments that may or may not benefit the region and the indicators with which the impact of public action may be measured. Considering this, particularly challenging for the EU is the need to balance decentralization of action in the regions and coordination at the Union level.
Pforzheim University was one of the first 100 participants to sign the PRME initiative in March 2008. When we first learned about PRME we were immediately convinced that it was worthwhile joining it. It perfectly reflects our tradition and our mission statement. In the mission statements of our university and of the Business School we address our responsibility to society and we emphasize that our graduates should be able to contribute to corporate responsibility.
Management education at Pforzheim University is mainly concentrated in the Business School. At the Engineering School the Business Administration and Engineering program is focused on Engineering as well as on Management. Furthermore, some of the graduates from the Design School and from the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering programs at the Engineering School also find themselves in management positions and hence aspects of responsible management are also relevant for their curricula. However, the focus of our commitment and of our reporting is on the Business School.
In the mid 1980s the Business School started to offer classes in Environmental Management as an elective. We gradually extended this to a module called “Ethics and Social Responsibility” which is compulsory for all undergraduates. Moreover, all our programs have integrated aspects of CSR related to their field of expertise - from accounting to marketing and to business law. The challenge now is to integrate these elements in a more systematic way and to define the learning goals and expected learning outcomes more clearly.
In order to implement this process the Business School formed a group of professors (with Dr. Jürgen Volkert as head; juergen.volkert@hs-pforzheim.de) supported by a newly hired PRME Coordinator, Kerstin Anstätt (kerstin.anstaett@hs-pforzheim.de). This group will systematically investigate the ideas of our faculty members in various fields of expertise and initiate a discussion process on how to integrate and add to the given elements - especially based on the wealth of experience and insights we have gained from best practice of our partners in the PRME network.
We are convinced that our participation in the PRME initiative will contribute to improving our education, the learning experience of our students and their future contributions to solving pressing problems in companies and society.
This paper addresses the relationship between technical change and the elasticity of substitution between factors of production. It is shown how the elasticity within a CES production setting can change due to technical change. Technical change is interpreted in the spirit of horizontal differentiation as in many growth models. Cases for positive and negative returns to differentiation are analyzed which can be understood as progress or complexity congestions. It is shown how the elasticity changes due to technical choices for each of them.
What constitutes a compensation free regulation of foreign-owned property in international law?
(2016)
This article intends to help understand the debate about TTIP by focusing on the specific issue of how TTIP may regulate investment protection of foreign-owned property. It gives an overview of the international law of expropriations of and other interferences with foreign-owned property for public welfare objectives such as public health and safety, environmental protection, public morals, the promotion and protection of cultural diversity and human rights, and asks whether such interferences require the payment of compensation. It also describes the role arbitrators played in the development of the international law concerning the taking of foreign-owned property. With this legal background in mind it elaborates that TTIP investment protection rules and dispute settlement provisions may be an indicator on what TTIP really is: an instrument for the benefit of the citizens in Europe and the United States or a means to outplace national interests and democracy in favor of multinational enterprises. The article expresses the hope that the protection of foreign-owned property will not be regulated in the TTIP agreement and that the settlement of investment disputes between investors and states will not be put into the hands of arbitrators but of the judges of the country where the taking took place.