Open Access

One of the most significant challenges facing the world today is rapid climate change and the negative effects it is having on our environment. The transport sector is responsible for high CO2 emissions, and will have to make fundamental contributions to climate goal targets in the medium to long-term future. In the past, far-reaching measures have been tested regarding how to encourage people to switch from their own cars or motorised private transport (MPT) to the more emission-friendly local public transport (PT). Previous projects have only been able to convince people to switch temporarily through subsidised public transport. Detached from the ecological aspects, the turmoil in the global economy at the end of February 2022 resulted in a price shock in mineral oil prices, which shifted the primary focus of mobility behaviour from ecological to economic concerns. The logistic regression analysis of a quantitative survey (n = 611) in Germany confirms that a large number of journeys taken via private car were saved due to the increased price. However, despite high mineral oil prices, travelling by private car remains the primary means of transport for many people. Switching to public transport is particularly noticeable among women. This is due, among other things, to their lower incomes. Contrary to results of prior studies, the present analysis shows that participants from large cities have saved fewer trips by private car compared to people living in rural areas, even though large cities generally have a denser infrastructure with a more comprehensive range of mobility options. Travel time and reliability are the main factors in our respondents' choice of transport mode and are more compatible in large cities with denser public transport than in rural areas. The avoided car journeys are predominantly in the leisure sector and have not been substituted by other means of transport.

The decline of insect abundance and richness has been documented for decades and has received increased attention in recent years. In 2017, a study by Hallmann and colleagues on insect biomasses in German nature protected areas received a great deal of attention and provided the impetus for the creation of the project Diversity of Insects in Nature protected Areas (DINA). The aim of DINA was to investigate possible causes for the decline of insects in nature protected areas throughout Germany and to develop strategies for managing the problem. A major issue for the protection of insects is the lack of insect-specific regulations for nature protected areas and the lack of a risk assessment and verification of the measures applied. Most nature protected areas border on or enclose agricultural land and are structured in a mosaic, resulting in an abundance of small and narrow areas. This leads to fragmentation or even loss of endangered habitats and thus threaten biodiversity. In addition, the impact of agricultural practices, especially pesticides and fertilisers, leads to the degradation of biodiversity at the boundaries of nature protected areas, reducing their effective size. All affected stakeholders need to be involved in solving these threats by working on joint solutions. Furthermore, agriculture in and around nature protected areas must act to promote biodiversity and utilise and develop methods that reverse the current trend. This also requires subsidies from the state to ensure economic sustainability and promote biodiversity-promoting practices.

This is a case report about a 12-year old boy with a spastic hemiplegia receiving therapy via VR glasses. The researchers try to demonstrate that the use of VR glasses showing 3-dimensional video sequences can stimulate the affected side of the brain comparable to mirror therapy. Therefore, the researchers videotaped ambidextrous 3-dimensional video sequences (actions) in an ego-perspective. An EMG pattern analysis demonstrate a tone influencing effect of the VR-glasses on this boy`s spastic upper limb. These first results lead to a greater RCT in this field.

Since the introducing of the new German packaging law 'VerpackG2' in January 2023, food service operators in Germany selling takeout food have been mandated to provide reusable packaging alternatives to single-use plastic food containers. This change in legislation has led to the emergence of various reusable consumer packaging systems in the German market. Reusable packaging systems have the potential to significantly reduce the negative environmental impact of single-use plastic packaging. However, for these systems to succeed and achieve their desired positive environmental impact, a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior toward these systems is needed. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework to identify the factors influencing consumers' intentions to use a reusable packaging system for takeaway food in the German food service industry. An online survey was developed, and 153 valid responses were collected from consumers in Germany. Structural equation modeling revealed that in this study, consumers' personal moral norms, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control directly influence consumers' intentions to use the reusable packaging system. The results also show that context, motivation, and personal moral norms are positively related to consumers' attitudes, and context significantly positively affects consumers' perceived behavioral control. Furthermore, the study's results indicate that despite the high frequency of takeaway food orders in Germany, consumers' use of reusable packaging systems for takeaway food still needs to be improved.

Since the new German packaging law 'VerpackG2' came into force in January 2023, German foodservice operators selling food to-go are required to provide reusable packaging alternatives to their single-use plastic food packaging. This change in legislation has led to the emergence of various reusable consumer packaging systems in the German market. Reusable packaging systems have the potential to significantly reduce the negative environmental impact of single-use plastic packaging. However, for these systems to be successful and achieve their desired positive environmental impact, also a comprehensive understanding of consumer behaviour towards these systems is needed. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework to identify the factors influencing consumers' intentions to use a reusable packaging system for takeaway food in the German foodservice industry. An online survey was developed and 153 valid responses were collected from consumers in Germany. Structural equation modelling revealed that consumers' personal moral norms, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control directly influence consumers' intentions to use the reusable packaging system in this study. The results also show that context, motivation and personal moral norms are positively related to consumers' attitudes and that context has a significant positive effect on consumers' perceived behavioural control. Furthermore, the results of the study indicate that despite the high frequency of takeaway food orders in Germany, consumers' use of reusable packaging systems for takeaway food still needs to be improved.

Purpose: The presented paper aims at providing novel evidence on entrepreneurial intention and it’s antecedence from the perspective of theory of planned behavior and identity in the entrepreneurial university context. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is based on a sample of 300 respondents obtained at a German university of applied sciences and consisting of students, scientific and non-scientific staff and alumni. The data was analyzed through IBM SPSS and Smart PLS to test the four hypotheses related to entrepreneurial intention and its antecedents. Findings: The study provides a critical perspective on the usefulness of the TPB framework extended with identity for predicting the entrepreneurial intention in the entrepreneurial university context. Based on the study results, it is hypothesized that entrepreneurial intention is best explain through a combination of entrepreneurial attitudes, social norms in relation to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial identity, while excluding behavioral control as the least important predictor with lowest relevance. This has implications both for TPB-based research as well as self-efficacy based research on entrepreneurial intention, as the two are considered to be related concepts. Research limitations and implications: Practical implications: Practical implications relate to demonstrating the usefulness of the TPB and identity for evaluating the entrepreneurial intention in terms of broad and diverse range of activities of an entrepreneurial university. Transfer managers, officers in incubators and accelerators can deploy and expand this approach to use it in diverse and mixed settings for comparing and mapping entrepreneurial intention among diverse set of stakeholders. Originality/value: The article empirically tests the combined theory of planned behavior and identity theory in a sample of diverse rspondents, beyond students to include also scientific and non-scientific staff of a university and alumni as important stakeholders in the entrepreneurial university. This is an important empirical and conceptual adition to existing literature with theoretial and practical implications.

Consumers are using online reviews to decide which products to purchase. Cybercriminals produce fake reviews to influence unknowing consumers into buying products of lower quality, which can lead to financial, emotional and physical damage. We have little under-standing of how consumers make decisions about the veracity of online reviews, or incorpo-rate online reviews into purchasing decisions, especially outside of the laboratory. Therefore, in this study using a grounded theory approach we elaborate on how consumers determine the veracity and trustworthiness of online user reviews. Twenty-five interviews with Dutch and German consumers were held to identify deception cues, thought processes and other markers of online shopping behaviour. The results show that consumers use online reviews differently depending on context. Our new theory proposes that consumers process reviews in at least two steps. First, they scan the review for relevance and then they determine the trustworthiness, credibility, and veracity. Additionally, we identified different deception cues that are used. Together, these findings lead the way into a new understanding of human fake review detection online.

Effective information security policies are crucial for organisations to mitigate information security threats and risks. However, poorly designed information security policies can lead to hidden costs and decreased compliance in daily work routines. While behavioural factors like social norms, positive attitudes, and knowledge are well known to influence compliance, the usability of information security policies, which takes the context of use seriously, remains understudied,. To address this, we introduce the Information Security Policy Usability Scale (ISPUS), an adaptation of the widely recognised System Usability Scale (SUS). ISPUS assesses the usability of information security policies. Thereby, it supports both companies and works councils in ensuring the fit of the work context, individual skills, tools and the policy. By applying ergonomic principles, ISPUS aims to enhance information security policy design and support organisational security efforts.

Merger-und-Acquisitions-Prozesse gelten als ein wesentliches Thema der strategischen Unternehmensausrichtung und haben erhebliche Auswirkungen auf die betroffenen Unternehmen. Aufgrund der gestiegenen Relevanz von kollaborativen Cloud-Services in den letzten Jahren untersucht dieser Beitrag anhand von Experteninterviews die Auswirkungen von Merger-und-Acquisition-Prozesse auf die kollaborativen Cloud-Services. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags wird eine Übersicht über die Hintergründe zu Mergers und Acquisitions, kollaborativen Cloud-Services sowie der Herausforderungen bei der Integration gegeben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen praxisnah, welche Auswirkungen ein Merger-und-Acquisition-Prozess auf kollaborative Cloud-Services hat. Dabei werden insbesondere das Vorgehen, die Migration sowie Benutzer und Stakeholder betrachtet.

Das Feld des Verbraucherschutzes unterliegt einem permanenten Wandel. Hatten sich in der Vergangenheit im Bereich der Rechts- oder der Ernährungswissenschaften Ausbildungsgänge oder Spezialisierungsmöglichkeiten für dieses komplexe Berufsfeld entwickelt, so stehen die Akteure angesichts der beschleunigten Marktveränderungen doch immer wieder vor neuen Herausforderungen, die etwa heute auch Kompetenzanforderungen im Bereich des Hackens oder der Algorithmenkontrolle umfassen. Vor diesem Hintergrund gilt es über Verbraucherschutz als Beruf und Berufung genauer nachzudenken und insbesondere die Grenzen und Möglichkeiten der Professionalisierung in diesem Feld zu reflektieren.

The United States has a long tradition in evaluation of political programs. In the 1930s and 1940s, programs were initiated to reduce unemployment and improve social security as part of the “New Deal.” In the late 1960s, somewhat comparable to the U. S. at that time, Germany’s new government started its own “New Deal.” Unemployment was modest but the growth of the economy was declining. The German government wanted to implement programs in order to follow a path of steady growth. Since most of the programs were evaluated, a growing market of evaluation could be observed at that time.

Wie errechnete man noch gleich den Break-Even Point? Oder den internen Zinsfuß? In diesem handlichen Nachschlagewerk finden Sie die gesuchte Formel und zugleich ein anschauliches Anwendungsbeispiel und eine Erklärung, wie und wofür sie eingesetzt wird. (Verlagsangaben)

Die Studie BPM Compass 2024 untersucht aktuelle Trends, Erfolgsfaktoren und Entwicklungen im Business Process Management (BPM). Sie behandelt Themen wie Ziele, Status Quo, Unternehmenskultur, Zufriedenheit, Erfolg und Systemintegration. Das Design lehnt sich an die Studie von 2016 an, um Vergleichsanalysen zu ermöglichen, wurde aber moderat modernisiert. Die Ergebnisse basieren auf einer Online-Befragung mit 138 Teilnehmern im Februar und März 2024 und sind indikativ. Die Studie wurde in Kooperation der Technischen Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM), der Hochschule Koblenz, der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Qualität (DGQ) und der Gesellschaft für Prozessmanagement (GP) durchgeführt.

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) is a widely applied research approach, combing the efforts of multiple academic disciplines to work on complex problems. Within transdisciplinary research (TDR), non-academic stakeholders participate in the project and offer hands-on experience to the research. These integrative approaches are praised for the ability for addressing ‘wicked problems’ and can lead to new perspectives on relevant contemporary challenges. This working paper is analysing the cooperation and exchange of involved disciplines in the German-Ghanaian interdisciplinary research project Energy-Self-Sufficiency for Health Facilities in Ghana (EnerSHelF). The results are presented in a Collaboration Frequency Network (CFN) as well as qualitatively examined to unravel the level of interaction and perspectives on chances and challenges of IDR and TDR. The analysis shows that disciplinary closeness, data collection and exchange, and individual effort are affecting the level of collaboration among other reasons. Concluding the authors develop recommendations for future IDR and TDR projects.

Digitale Produkte und Dienstleistungen sind integraler Bestandteil des Alltags. Mobile Geräte sind in jedem Bereich präsent, vom Finanzmanagement bis zur Gesundheitsversorgung. Die Art des Konsums hat sich mit der Digitalisierung des Alltags der Verbraucher:innen grundlegend gewandelt, was neben Fragen nach Geschäftsmodellen auch solche nach Verbraucherschutz und Nachhaltigkeit aufwirft. Die Verbraucherinformatik untersucht diese Entwicklungen und ihre Auswirkungen auf Gesellschaft und Individuen. Dieses Kapitel gibt eine Einführung in die Disziplin und skizziert die Entwicklung des digitalen Konsums sowie die damit verbundenen Veränderungen für die Verbraucher:innen von der Verbreitung der ersten Heimcomputer bis heute. Zudem stellt es zentrale Grundbegriffe vor und gibt einen Überblick über das didaktische Konzept sowie die Inhalte der weiteren Kapitel des Lehrbuchs.

In diesem Kapitel werden die Perspektive des Privathaushalts und die Perspektive des Marktes erörtert. Ein:e Verbraucher:in, welche:r innerhalb eines Haushalts zur Bedürfnisbefriedigung wirtschaftet, erledigt dabei Hausarbeit durch Kochen, Putzen, Waschen, tätigt den Abschluss von Verträgen, die Pflege von Einkaufslisten oder eine Finanzplanung. Dabei haben Verbraucher:innen unterschiedliche Praktiken und Bewältigungsstrategien entwickelt, die es in der Verbraucherinformatik zu analysieren gilt. Physische Hausarbeit wird bereits im Smart-Home-Kontext durch intelligente Maschinen (oft Roboter genannt) ausgelagert. Kognitive Hausarbeit im alltäglichen Handeln (bspw. bei Verträgen) kann und wird in Zukunft durch Software wie auch Intermediäre unterstützt werden. Digitale Märkte stellen eine häufige Form der Intermediation dar, die Besonderheiten und Effekten unterliegt, welche das Verbraucherverhalten beeinflussen können. So gewinnen zum Beispiel einige wenige Anbieter mithilfe von Netzwerkeffekten, Skaleneffekten und Lock-in-Effekten zunehmend an Marktdominanz und verdrängen kleinere Anbieter, was zu Quasimonopolen führen kann. Digitale Märkte zeichnen sich zudem durch ihre Vertrauensfunktion in der Internet-Ökonomie aus.

Die Verbreitung digitaler Systeme beeinflusst Entscheidungen, Gesetze, Verhalten und Werte in unserer Gesellschaft. Dies wirkt sich auf Konsumgewohnheiten, Marktbeziehungen, Machtverteilung, Privatsphäre und IT-Sicherheit aus. Damit einhergehende Veränderungen haben direkte Auswirkungen auf unser Leben, was im Bereich der Technikfolgenabschätzung bzw. der angewandten Informatik unter dem Stichwort ELSI diskutiert wird. Dieses Kapitel fokussiert auf entsprechende Fragestellungen bezüglich ethischer Auswirkungen. Insbesondere rückt Fairness im Kontext automatisierter Entscheidungen in den Fokus, da Verbraucher:innen diesen zunehmend ausgesetzt sind. Zudem wird im Rahmen der gestiegenen Besorgnis über ökologische Auswirkungen das Thema Nachhaltigkeit am Beispiel von „Sharing Economy“ und „Shared Mobility“ weiter vertieft.