v9i3 – Junior Management Science

Authentizität und Markenaktivismus – eine empirische Analyse

Jaqueline Domnick, Freie Universität Berlin (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1609-1633

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Die steigende Relevanz von Markenaktivismus verbunden mit ihrer kontroversen Natur stellt Marken vor Herausforderungen. Ob sich Marken aktivistisch engagieren sollten und wie wichtig dabei das authentische Engagement in diesem Zusammenhang ist, sind Fragen, die es zu beantworten gilt. In dieser Arbeit wird mit Hilfe eines Experiments belegt, dass authentischer Markenaktivismus die Einstellung zu einer Marke verbessert. Dabei wird die dadurch größerer wahrgenommene Markenauthentizität als wichtiger Treiber identifiziert. Dafür wurde eine Definition von authentischem Markenaktivismus betrachtet, bei der nicht die Handlungen isoliert betrachtet werden, sondern das Zusammenspiel von Purpose, Werten, Unternehmenspraktiken und aktivistischer Botschaft. Zusätzlich wird festgestellt, dass der Einfluss von authentischem Markenaktivismus auf die wahrgenommene Markenauthentizität nicht von den Moderatoren Involvement und Skepsis beeinflusst wird. Weiterhin können erste Erkenntnisse über verschiedene Formen von nicht authentischem Markenaktivismus erlangt werden. Diese Arbeit trägt damit zur Forschung über die Wirksamkeit von aktivistischen Engagement bei und schließt eine empirische Lücke in Bezug auf die Authentizität von Markenaktivismus.

Keywords: attitude towards brands; brand activism; brand authenticity.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1609-1633

The Employees‘ Entrepreneurial Mindset: The Influence of Perceived Supervisor Effort on the Employees‘ Entrepreneurial Passion

Athanasios Konstantinos Kallinikidis, Technische Universität München (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1634-1664

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This paper examines the effect of perceived supervisor effort on the employees’ entrepreneurial passion. The study combines theories on emotional contagion, goal contagion, and self-regulation to explain the underlying mechanisms for occurring phenomena. Case-based research delivered the data to investigate the relationship between perceived supervisor effort and the employees’ entrepreneurial passion. The data revealed that proximity to the founders, entrepreneurial-relatedness of the employee’s tasks, and initial entrepreneurial passion work as antecedents of the combined mechanism of contagion and selfregulation. The findings suggest that employees are affected positively by the perception of high effort and negatively by the perception of low effort in their passion for entrepreneurship when proximity to the founders, entrepreneurial-relatedness of the tasks, and initial entrepreneurial passion are high. However, the perception of high effort can decrease entrepreneurial passion when employees were initially low passionate about entrepreneurship. This work contributes to the literature by providing a theoretical model that describes how perceived supervisor effort impacts entrepreneurial passion on an employeelevel outcome.

Keywords: contagion; employee; entrepreneurial effort; entrepreneurial passion; perceived effort.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1634-1664

Motivationen und Resultate der Anti-Konsum Praxis ‚Stooping‘

Leonie Böhm, Freie Universität Berlin (Bachelorarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1665-1680

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Die Klimakrise des 21. Jahrhunderts fordert neue und nachhaltige Formen des alternativen Konsums. Im Rahmen dieser Bachelorarbeit wird die aufstrebende Anti-Konsum Praxis Stooping, eine Art des Second-Hand Konsums, bei dem Gegenstände von Konsumierenden an die Straße gestellt und von anderen kostenfrei konsumiert werden können, erstmals untersucht. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist, mögliche Motivationen und Resultate des Stooping zu erforschen. Diese werden aus der existierenden Literatur zu Second-Hand- und Anti-Konsum herausgearbeitet und anschließend mithilfe qualitativer Interviews überprüft. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass ökonomische Motive, hedonistische Werte, die Einfachheit der Konsumentscheidungen, Nachhaltigkeitsüberlegungen, das Aufwerten von gefundenen Produkten und eine gute Qualität gebrauchter Produkte Motivationen für Stooping darstellen können. Resultate des Stooping können eine verstärkte Verbundenheit zwischen Verkäufer*in und Käufer*in, zum Objekt sowie eine positive soziale Wahrnehmung der Konsumierenden sein. Die Untersuchung neuer Konsumtrends wie Stooping führt zu einem besseren Verständnis nachhaltiger Konsumpraktiken und kann dazu beitragen, diese als bewusste und geplante Konsum-Alternative zu positionieren.

Keywords: alternative consumption; anti-consumption; second-hand consumption; stooping.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1665-1680

When Does Marketing & Sales Collaboration Affect the Perceived Lead Quality? – The Moderating Effects of IT Systems

Lukas Hilke, Ruhr Universität Bochum (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1681-1699

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In the realm of corporate dynamics, lead management remains a relatively underexplored subject, despite its increasing significance and annual resource allocation. This study addresses the enigmatic „sales lead black hole“ by investigating the influence of enhanced collaboration between marketing and sales on the perceived quality of marketing-generated leads. A research model was crafted to delve into this relationship and assess the impact of contemporary IT systems on collaboration, subsequently bolstering the perceived lead quality. Findings reveal that active collaboration in planning lead management activities and exchanging information elevates the acceptance of marketing-generated leads, prompting increased follow-up engagement by sales personnel. IT systems play a pivotal role in fostering such collaboration, amplifying its effect on the perceived quality of leads. This research contributes vital insights for scholars by dissecting key drivers of perceived lead quality and proposing solutions for the sales lead black hole. For practitioners, the study offers actionable implications to enhance subjective perceptions of marketing-generated leads, curbing resource wastage through improved follow-up strategies.

Keywords: IT-systems; lead management; marketing & sales collaboration; perceived lead quality; sales engagement.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1681-1699

Accelerator Impact on Peer Networking – Examining the Formation, Use, and Development of Inter-Organizational Networks Among Early-Stage Start-Ups

Hannah Franziska Gundel, Technische Universität München (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1700-1732

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Developing, promoting, and managing networks is a core element of entrepreneurship. Yet, limited research exists on the inherent processes and interaction dynamics underlying the social phenomenon of network formation among nascent companies over time. I conducted a qualitative inductive study with ten founding teams over three months to gain new theoretical insights into inter-organizational network formation among early-stage start-ups in an accelerator environment. The systematically derived dynamic process model proposes a framework capturing different types of peer relationships that change in response to founders’ shifting personal and organizational needs over time. It highlights the accelerator’s intermediary role in orchestrating network formation among founders through strategic design choices and regulatory program structure, establishing a collectivist organizational culture. Findings point to the entrepreneur’s particular context in identifying relevant collaboration opportunities and navigating effective start-up networks, significantly informing the entrepreneurial career trajectory. The theoretical framework offers guidance for ecosystem builders, policy makers as well as opens possibilities for further research in social science and the entrepreneurial landscape.

Keywords: accelerator; entrepreneurial networking; inter-organizational networks; network orchestration; peer networks.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1700-1732

Developing and Maintaining a Strong Corporate Culture, While Coping With a Workforce Growing Significantly: A Qualitative Analysis on Corporate Culture Development of Fast-Growing Start-Ups

Anna Simon, Technische Universität München (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1733-1768

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The development and maintenance of a strong corporate culture are crucial for the success of start-ups, especially during their founding and growth phases. While previous research emphasizes the founders’ role in shaping corporate culture, the growth phase of start-ups in this context has hardly been explored. This study, based on 16 semistructured interviews with founders and managers of rapidly growing start-ups, provides new insights into corporate culture development and maintenance. The qualitative study reveals that various instruments play a vital role in shaping corporate culture during the founding and growth phases. Specifically, the founders’ role model function, the definition of corporate values, recruiting, and events significantly impact this process. Additionally, the study highlights that start-ups actively and consciously strive to develop and maintain their corporate culture as the company expands in size. Given the numerous identified instruments for corporate culture development in start-ups, this work offers new insights into a relatively unexplored environment, serving as a foundation for further research. Furthermore, the practical implementation of these identified instruments is demonstrated, contributing to the practical value of this study.

Keywords: cultural development; organizational culture; rapid growth; start-ups.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1733-1768

How Does ESG Rating Disagreement Influence Analyst Forecast Dispersion?

Robin Spira, Universität Bayreuth (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1769-1804

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The practice of responsible and sustainable investing has led to the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) information into investment decisions. The role of ESG rating agencies has been to facilitate decision-making by aggregating unstructured ESG information into a single rating. Market participants, such as financial analysts, rely on these ratings as part of their research. However, ESG rating agencies rarely agree in their assessment of a company’s ESG performance, leading to divergent ESG ratings. This paper uses an OLS regression model based on a large sample of firm data to investigate whether ESG rating agency disagreement increases analysts’ forecast dispersion. It builds on previous research by Kimbrough et al. (2022). The results do not provide sufficient evidence to support a significant relationship between ESG discrepancies and analyst forecast dispersion. This calls into question the importance of non-financial ESG information in analysts’ assessment of a company‘s financial performance.

Keywords: analyst forecast; disagreement; ESG rating agencies; ESG score; intermediaries.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1769-1804

Development of a Cost Optimal Predictive Maintenance Strategy

Christoph Weeber, Technische Universität München (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1805-1835

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Maintenance costs account for a significant share of operating expenses. Selecting the optimal maintenance strategy for each application is crucial to optimize operational processes and minimize MRO spending. In recent years, Machine Learning has become popular for analyzing large amounts of data and improving decision-making in various industries. This yields great potential in the field of Predictive Maintenance. In this thesis, a methodology to determine and compare the average maintenance costs per cycle for Reactive, Preventive, and Predictive Maintenance, as well as a Reference Case is developed. This cost comparison methodology is then applied to a realistic example of a fleet of ten aircraft. Unlike previous research, this thesis combines all aspects in one approach, from Machine Learning algorithm selection and RUL prediction, to the maintenance cost comparison based on a fleet of aircraft. The NASA CMAPSS jet engine dataset is used as an example. Results suggest that maintenance costs per cycle for Predictive Maintenance are 36.0 % lower than for Preventive Maintenance and 88.3 % lower compared to Reactive Maintenance. In general, this thesis serves as a guideline that highlights the necessary steps to determine the cost-optimal maintenance strategy for an application.

Keywords: machine learning algorithm; NASA CMAPSS dataset; optimal maintenance strategy; predictive maintenance; preventive maintenance; reactive maintenance.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1805-1835

The Munich Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the Health Sector: Current State and Improvement Areas

Alexandra Hanna James, Technische Universität München (Masterarbeit)
Junior Management Science 9(3), 2024, 1836-1858

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The study explores entrepreneurial ecosystems, which emphasize the impact of regional context on entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on the health sector. Given its innovation and knowledge intensity, coupled with industry-specific challenges, the health sector serves as an ideal case for ecosystem analysis. This research aims to qualitatively assess Munich’s health sector entrepreneurial ecosystem and to identify actionable recommendations for enhancement. To this end, 15 interviews with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and support organization members are analyzed through computerassisted qualitative content analysis. Results reveal strengths in demand, talent, knowledge, and intermediaries, while physical infrastructure, ecosystem leadership, and formal institutions score lower. The study provides concrete improvement ideas in the areas of financial support, incubators and networks, entrepreneurial education, availability of information and industry collaboration. These insights can be used to strengthen and expand Munich’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, contributing to economic, societal, and technological advancements.

Keywords: biotechnology; digital health; entrepreneurial ecosystems; entrepreneurship; life science.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5282/jums/v9i3pp1836-1858