Managers are still floundering when they have to decide on the optimal level of feedback frequency; either when they consider themselves as a source of feedback, but also when they shape the feedback environment of their employees, e.g., by allowing more (or less) frequent customer feedback. Furthermore, given that feedback is a time-consuming task, managers might be reluctant to provide feedback frequently, foregoing a potentially powerful lever for increasing employee creativity. Ultimately, clarifying the ambiguities ...

This thesis focuses on the intramuscular fat content (IMF) or the marbling of beef as main parameters of sensory beef quality. The aim is to identify the high variability of these traits and to verify possible influences such as genetics, age, gender and feeding strategies to increase marbling. The first part of this research focuses on the variation of quality traits within a genetically homogeneous line of an endangered German beef cattle breed “Rotes Höhenvieh” (RHV). The intramuscular fat content of beef samples ...

In the contemporary business world, the real competition is not among individual businesses but rather between supply chains. Companies, which are part of efficient supply chains, are considered destined to outperform their competitors being part of inefficient supply chains. Moreover, performance has been a matter of concern for researchers for decades and is the primary aim of any firm’s existence. The definition of performance includes the performance measurement (PM) concept and further supports the notion that ...

This dissertation analyzes supply chain risk management (SCRM) and sustainability performance in the context of circular supply chains (CSCs). The implementation of circular economy (CE) thinking in firms and supply chains has a crucial role in fostering innovative and efficient ways of producing and consuming. However, CE implementation is not a straightforward process, begetting risks and uncertainties that can impact the overall sustainability performance of CSCs. Therefore, managers need to adopt appropriate ...

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and while mainly associated with behavioral risk factors, they can also be linked to genetic disorders. The cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I (PKG I) plays a pivotal role in the homeostasis of the vasculature by mediating NO/cGMP-dependent relaxation of vascular smooth muscle cells. A recently described genetic risk factor associated with PKG I results in heritable thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD). Although PKG isoforms Iα and Iβ ...

This thesis aims to analyze how further take-up of Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) in practice can be encouraged to support sustainable development. To achieve the aim of the thesis, three studies on MFCA are conducted at multiple levels. The first study provides a better understanding of MFCA application at the corporate level in developing countries, which are characterized by rapid structure transformation leading to serious environmental problems. The second study considers the contextual and transformational ...

The concept of discourse tradition (DT) is a core component of the system of language competence developed by Eugenio Coseriu and unfolds its analytical sharpness embedded in the differentiations of that model. The idea of DT is based on the concepts of historicity, individuality and tradition. A central topic of the debates and controversies that have arisen in Romance linguistics is the question of how historicity and individuality enter into the idea of DT. In comparison, the concept of tradition has been studied ...

Embedded in an introductory and a concluding chapter, the thesis comprises six distinct but related scientific articles. All articles contribute to a more holistic understanding of drivers and barriers of a successful energy transition. In the first part of the thesis, four articles address energy and economic efficiency in the electricity sector. These articles provide guidance for efficient regulatory policies and analyse measures seeking to increase preferences for dynamic electricity tariffs. The two articles in ...

In this contribution, we present a systematic investigation on a series of piroquaterphenyl compounds optimised for solid state lasing in the near ultraviolet (UV). Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) thresholds in the order of 1 μJ/cm2 are obtained in neat (undiluted) films and blends, with emission peaks at 390 1 nm for unsubstituted and meta-substituted quaterphenyls and 400 4 nm for para-ether substituted quaterphenyls. Mixing with a transparent matrix retains a low threshold, shifts the emission to lower ...