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This publication-based dissertation examines human-related success factors for the implementation and application of data analytics tools and methods within the decision-making process of organizations. Generated insights on human-related factors are outlined and described in six chapters. First, a general introduction to the subject is provided and the research is positioned within a broader overall context. Additionally, the first section comprises a summary of the research papers included, along with publication information. Chapter 2 presents a systematic literature review summarizing the capabilities of Big Data analytics (BDA) with regard to firm performance. Five key capability clusters have been identified to categorize all relevant human-related capabilities across existing research to date. Chapter 3 presents an empirical research paper examining the relevant managerial aspects that must be considered when shifting from intuitive to analytics-based decision-making. Introducing a six-factor framework, the chapter outlines the findings of an indepth single case study of a German manufacturing organization that has already implemented analytical methods and tools within its decision processes. Chapter 4 contains the second empirical paper, which outlines the crucial role that executives play within the process of a firm’s digital transformation toward the application of analytics. Based on conducted interviews, four managerial archetypes are identified, with detailed descriptions of their characteristics, capabilities, and contribution to transformation. Chapter 5 introduces a teaching case study that sheds light on best practices relevant to the application of analytics. This case study describes the most critical factors for success in the use of an AI tool using an example from Wilo, a leading German manufacturer of pumps and pump systems. Finally, Chapter 6 summarizes the findings of this publication-based dissertation, outlines its contributions to academia and practice, and presents its limitations and potential avenues for future research.
The publication-based dissertation investigates how to leverage corporate venturing units for the continuous stra- tegic renewal of established companies. It includes four self-contained research papers, from which three are de- veloped for publication in peer-reviewed academic journals, and one for publication as an academic teaching case study. The first paper uses the methodology of a systematic literature review to integrate different research streams of organizational ambidexterity, dynamic capabilities, and corporate venturing. As a result, it provides an inte- grated framework and identifies interlinked-ambidextrous corporate venturing units as a promising research av- enue for strategic corporate venturing. The second paper applies a multiple-case study approach to differentiate contemporary corporate venturing units from a strategic renewal perspective. As a result, it can provide a novel typology and suggest a first organizational framework for strategic corporate venturing. The third paper investi- gates the identified interlinked-ambidextrous corporate venturing units deeper through additional qualitative data collection and analysis. This results in a proposed organizational model of strategic corporate venturing with spe- cific organizational antecedents alongside process activities, dynamic capabilities and organizational interlinks as possible enablers, and ambidextrous orientation as a possible mediator to develop organizationally consequential new business. The fourth paper helps to apply these findings by describing the strategic renewal challenge of the digital scale-up Freeletics and leading through the organizational set-up of a suitable strategic corporate venturing project in the teaching note. To integrate all papers within one dissertation, they are framed with an introductory and concluding section. The introduction describes the overall need and motivation for the research and intro- duces the key theoretical concepts as well as the four research papers and their publication status. The concluding section provides theoretical and practical implications, as well as limitations and future research opportunities across all included papers. Altogether, the dissertation enhances existing corporate venturing theory to better lev- erage the concept for strategic renewal and provides new insights into the establishing and application of dynamic capabilities and organizational ambidexterity in dedicated corporate venturing units.
This cumulative dissertation extends the literature strand on firm valuation and capital structure under distinctive fiscal considerations by elaborating on corporate finance issues that have not been resolved or not explained in their full magnitude. Essay one reassesses the appropriate valuation of a firm using the APV equation and more appropriately specifying one of its components, the value of tax savings. The second essay thematically follows essay one by utilizing the WACC approach in a multi-state setting under active debt policy. The third and final essay reconsiders capital structure under the artificial restriction of interest deductibility and its resulting influence on the value of potential tax savings. All essays incorporate loss distribution in default for either a partial or a complete loss scenario, thus providing additional insides on this crucial assumption in firm valuation under risky debt.
Entrepreneurial management
(2022)
This publication-based dissertation examines (corporate) venturing and business model innovation intending to derive implications for entrepreneurial management in firms. To achieve this, four self-contained research papers have been developed which are the core of this dissertation. The first section serves as a general introduction, outlines the motivation for each of the research topics, and presents a summary of the research papers and their publication status. The first research paper (Section 2) is a systematic literature review that summarizes and structures three decades of research on the field of success measurement of corporate venturing activities. It identifies three structural dimensions which allow the creation of nine meaning clusters by which the existing measurement approaches can be grouped and compared. Additionally, the review reveals the heterogeneity of these approaches and the unique measurement items which they include. The third section is an empirical study on new venture creation activities in the early stage, based on 112 interviews with novice and experienced entrepreneurs. It defines three dimensions of entrepreneurial activity, namely, Entrepreneurial Alignment, Resource Enhancement, and Value Generation, and finds 67 actions, which differ across these groups in type and sequence. Section four is a single case study in business model innovation that investigates the recent rebranding of “Facebook” to “Meta”. It finds that, despite the strong communication efforts and the resulting internal and external signaling effects, this change does not correspond to a radical business innovation pattern. The fourth research study (Section 5) is a conceptual study that develops an integrated framework for business model innovation in service industries, based on research on the tourism industry. It highlights the limitations of siloed approaches under the influence of internal and external challenges such as industry dynamics and resource constraints. Section six summarizes the dissertation, highlighting the overall contributions for research and practice, and discusses the limitations and directions for future research.
This publication-based dissertation examines the phenomenon of incumbent adaptation to changing environments with a dynamic capabilities perspective. Its core consists of four research papers that are self-contained and have been developed to be published in double-blind peer-reviewed academic journals. This intellectual body is framed with an introduction (Section 1) that introduces the current state of research on dynamic capabilities, summarizes the four research papers, and presents the current publication status of the work; the concluding Section 6 presents the overall contributions, limitations, and avenues for future research. The first research paper (Section 2) is a systematic literature review of empirical studies that identify idiosyncratic dynamic capabilities in practice. Its main finding is a taxonomy of dynamic capabilities that introduces 19 dynamic subcapabilities and connects them to existing conceptual literature. The second research paper (Section 3) is a longitudinal single case study of Axel Springer, a leading media corporation that has exercised dynamic capabilities to convert from a print publisher to an internet company. The study finds iterations, overlaps, and interconnections between sensing, seizing, and transforming. Based on the findings, a generalized conceptual model for dynamic capabilities in incumbent adaptation is constructed. For the third research paper (Section 4) an action research approach is applied to explore how managers’ mental models can engender erroneous resource cognition. The study discovers five cognitive biases that may distort resource cognition. The fourth research paper (Section 5) is a teaching case study building on the strategic challenge for Somedia, a Swiss media firm, to diversify from its declining legacy business by leveraging its resources and capabilities. This publication-based dissertation enhances the understanding of incumbent adaptation and presents applicable implications and recommendations for practitioners.
The pursuit of new opportunities is at the heart of entrepreneurship. Creating the organizational environment to recognize and seize such opportunities is fundamental to entrepreneurial success and yet, the relationship between organizational design and entrepreneurship has received limited attention. Drawing on extant research in the fields of corporate venturing, technology business incubation, organizational design and governance, this dissertation addresses these research gaps by presenting four studies. The first relies on abductive reasoning to develop a conceptual framework for typologizing the design of the heterogeneous accelerator phenomenon. The second study empirically develops an organizational design typology of various corporate accelerator archetypes, as a key mechanism for the process of technology business incubation and corporate venturing. It further highlights how corporate accelerator design evolved over time. The third study addresses organizational decision systems and specifically, the role of the board of directors in young, entrepreneurial ventures. The fourth study presents a case study and teaching note exploring how to design an entrepreneurial organization and sustain its flexibility, adaptability and entrepreneurial DNA over the long term. In sum, this dissertation contributes to the field of entrepreneurship by extending prevailing knowledge on the why, how, and what of corporate accelerators, new venture boards and the organizational design behind such entrepreneurial entities.
Value creation through corporate venture capital in the collaboration of start-ups and corporations
(2021)
Small, new or foreign firms inherently have a lower likelihood of surviving in the market. Frequently, this is due to the existence of resource constraints, such as the liabilities of smallness, newness or foreignness. Consequently, to survive in the market, small, new or foreign firms need to find efficient ways to use their resources. Multiple ways to alleviate these problems have been discussed in the literature, which include digitalization, internationalization, or outsourcing relationships. The usage of digital technologies, entering foreign markets or partnering with established organizations have been found to have compelling advantages and, thus, are promising practices for small, new and foreign firms in overcoming those constraints. It is, however, surprising that little is known about relevant aspects of these practices. For instance, research has just begun to investigate the influence of digital technologies on small and new firms, misses to investigate the success factors in the internationalization of small, new and foreign e-commerce firms, or has not fully investigated methods to improve performance of small firms in outsourcing relationships. Drawing on extant research on digitalization, internationalization, and outsourcing this cumulative dissertation presents four research papers. Each paper contributes to fill existing research gaps in the respective literature. All papers investigate a particular type of small firm and examine potential ways to handle scare resources. Beyond the theoretical and practical contributions of each research paper, this dissertation in its entirety presents several implications for practitioners in small, new and foreign firms that will help them to overcome resource constraints. Furthermore, the thesis discusses implications for theory, limitations, and avenues for further research.
This cumulative dissertation includes three papers and one teaching case study. Together, they focus on topics highlighting the distinctiveness of family firms and new ventures. While the first paper analyzes the academic debate over the familiness concept in family firm research, the second paper focuses on explaining the unique relational dynamics between family and non-family managers in top management teams. The third paper aims to derive design designs for family firm specific corporate accelerators. The teaching case study shows how a growing new venture may strike a balance between coping with increasing organizational complexity and maintaining its distinct entrepreneurial spirit.