Dissertations

A generic process and measure selection model to support management decisions in the scope of organisational change processes in industrial companies

The increasing complexity and dynamics both within companies and in the environment require a holistic and sustainable solution for the management and implementation of change initiatives in the industry. Although change is part of everyday life in the organisational context, the prerequisites needed for it are often disregarded and attempts are made to implement them as simplified projects. To support people in change, appropriate management tools are needed besides to the required leadership skills, and although a variety of tools exist, failures accumulate due to a lack of adaptability regarding organizations’ state.

The works aim is to create a model that supports management in the implementation and monitoring of change initiatives with the corresponding recommendations for action and the tools required for this purpose. For this purpose, already existing change models were combined and adapted for the developed model. Based on extensive literature re- search, the process and content model are created as a generic and application-oriented model.
The dissertations’ result offers the user of the model a practical instrument that can be applied at two different levels of detail. The superordinate process model is used for initial rough planning and, by classification based on the change morphology, raises awareness of the scope and the people (groups) affected by the change. In the next detailed step, the change difficulty is used as input for the action selection model, which assigns methods, instruments and models to different phases of a change process model and provides the user with a guide for the planned change. A comparison of required and existing method competencies based on the model proposal enables the identification and planning of individual qualification measures required for the change.
The validation is based on case studies carried out by three different change initiatives in a maintenance organisation. Due to the generic design of the procedure and measure selection model, this model can be applied without restriction to different sectors and specialist areas and to sustainably anchor change initiatives in the company.  

Development of a generic procedure and decision model for dynamic criticality assessment in asset management 

Competitiveness and customer loyalty represent essential pillars of corporate success for production companies. To achieve this goal, reliable assets are essential over the entire asset-life-cycle, especially in the utilization phase, as required by an asset management. Due to the constantly changing production conditions, fluctuating demands and changing legal requirements, the assets identified as critical also change continuously. It is therefore necessary to identify the greatest risk factors at an early stage and to derive timely measures for risk reduction and cost savings to secure competitive advantages and to adapt the maintenance strategy of the assets accordingly in order to be able to survive on the market in the long term.

To evaluate these critical assets dynamically and to adapt the maintenance strategy accordingly, a procedure and decision model was developed. Based on a company analysis and the determination of the complexity level of the considered entity, as well as the prevailing data maturity, the model specifies a set of tools for performing the criticality assessment.
The dynamization of the assessment is especially essential in times of increasing asset intensity and productivity, as well as the ever-increasing scarcity of resources. The system analysis to be carried out in the first step of the assessment aims to identify relevant input factors that affect the asset and accordingly provide a set of criteria for carrying out the criticality assessment. It is important to note, that the criteria set follows a holistic approach in the sense of the Generic Management and encompasses all success factors of the unit under consideration to achieve the greatest possible output through system optimization.
By considering the existing asset park and the success factors affecting it, a fully comprehensive criticality assessment can be carried out with the aim of increasing efficiency and effectiveness of the assets in the long term, as well as being able to react flexibly to the changing environmental conditions.
The developed model was validated on the basis of three application examples.

An Examination of the Effectiveness of Executive Compensation and Management Activities on the Performance of selected Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Companies listed on New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges

In the wake of frequently excessive pay packages that are rewarded to executives despite a weak company performance, the pay-for-performance issue has received widespread attention during the last 30 years.
The boards of listed companies and their compensation committees are under increasing scrutiny by shareholders, stakeholders, proxy firms, the media, and the public regarding compensation contracts for their executives.This thesis examined whether there is a link between the effectiveness of executive compensation and management activities on the performance of oil and gas exploration and production companies. For this purpose, a sample of 85 such companies listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges was analyzed as the executive compensation disclosure regulations on these ex-changes are the same. The statistical analyses showed that short-term and long-term components in compensation contracts—as agreed upon between boards and executives—and management activities only have a small effect on the absolute 3-years total shareholder return as a market-based indicator.

As to accounting-based indicators, there is a weak association between compensation components and revenue growth but a strong link between management activities and revenue growth.
In terms of management activities, the greatest impact on revenue growth comes from the oil and gas output growth, which in turn is influenced mainly by heavy capital expenditures.
There is no link between compensation components, management activities, and net income growth as another accounting-based indicator.
Based on these findings recommendations were made for boards and compensation committees concerning the design of targets in compensation agreements for companies in the investigated industry sector.

Reference Model to design the Digital Shadow of Maintenance according to the Principles of a Generic Management Concept  

Digitalization offers companies the chance to optimize the use of the resource information in all management functions. Maintenance is faced with the challenge of making the combination of vertical and horizontal integration of IT systems usable and thus increasing the value added contribution. The digital shadow of maintenance is understood as a digital model in which changes in the physical world have a real-time effect on the information system. The resulting potentials are better decision quality, greater planning ability, transparent controlling and optimal support for operating activities.
The aim of the work is to create a reference model that can be used to model the maintenance information system. For this purpose, a modified ARIS house is constructed in which the perspectives data, functions and objectives represent the information system. Based on a comprehensive literature research the functional model will be constructed according to the principles of a generic maintenance management concept. Subsequently, the objective model is developed with which a data model can be derived from the control perspective. The last model can be seen as the digital shadow of maintenance management due to its given structure and content.

The result of the work provides the model user with a tool that can be applied in practice in two ways. With the top-down approach, functions and objectives can be formulated from which the necessary data can be derived. Validation is carried out, among other things, by modeling the TPM philosophy, in which the corresponding data model is created based on the functions and goals. The second possible application takes the opposite approach and draws a bottom-up path from the available data to the achievable functions and goals. The validation of the second approach takes place in the modelling of an information system in practice (software manufacturer). The results can be used to evaluate the information system and formulate recommendations for action.

Maturity model for the evaluation of the input factors for data analytic applications-Conceptualization on example of weak point analysis  

Due to the penetration of the industry with digitized and connected components, the amount of data has increased in recent years. More and more companies are implementing data analysis projects in order to be able to utilize this data profitably. The prerequisites necessary for such projects are either ignored or incorrectly evaluated. These prerequisites are the input factors of the data analysis process, such as effective data acquisition and efficient data provision on the one hand and the content of the data
in the classical data quality view on the other. If these two facets are not sufficiently developed for a project, it leads not only to time and consequently financial deviations in
the implementation, but in the worst case to the failure of the project and to a loss of reputation of data analysis initiatives. Innovative and forward-looking projects in the field of data analytics should be used to develop structures in the company to a level where they can meet future challenges.

Maturity models support the evaluation of business processes and their structured improvement. Among numerous existing maturity models for digitization, however, there is none that deals with the focused evaluation of the data analytical process with a focus on its required input factors, such as data management and data quality. The maturity model developed in this thesis should close this gap. The evaluation is
based on the CRISP-DM as a generic process model for data analysis. The structure considers common data quality dimensions in order to break down assessment requirements to the level of maturity categories. Six maturity level categories are selected in such a way that practice-oriented recommendations for action can be made in each of them in order to achieve an improvement in the maturity level. The hierarchy of maturity levels is oriented towards the increasing complexity of analysis concepts, the use of which increases company benefits. The maturity model was developed and tested using case studies. In this context a method for a Big Data supported weak point analysis from the classical method case of data analysis was used and the results were presented in a data supported Ishikawa diagram.  

Development of an integrated economic evaluation model for the exploitation of marginal offshore oil fields  

The increasing short and mid-term demand for oil and gas combined with the fading exploration success brings mature areas back into focus. Especially marginal offshore oil fields, being characterized by high upfront CAPEX, low production revenue and short field life, require innovative solutions, considering specific topics like transfer of CAPEX to OPEX, incentives and technological innovations, which are not necessarily covered in typical upstream valuation approaches. This results in a specific business model that especially considers the value added from adequate subsurface and surface field development competencies and application of fit for purpose technology. Using and adapting the competitive analysis framework of Porter (especially the company value chain and the five forces model) to derive at the pre-dominant value drivers, an adequate valuation concept, taking into account the specifics of marginal offshore oil fields, is configured. Additionally, elaborated expert interviews have been performed to find empirical evidence for derived conclusions. 

Model for the Design of a Dynamic, Smart and Value-oriented Maintenance

Today, companies must compete in global competition in a dynamic environment in which factors such as volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity sometimes appear simultaneously. The advancing digitization within the industry – known as the fourth industrial revolution or industry 4.0 – can be seen as an opportunity in dealing with these challenges. For industrial operators, this means the change of the conventional factory to the ‘Smart-Factory’, and also demands a change from maintenance, which is regarded as an enabler and driver. There will be essential development requirements in the fields of knowledge management, qualification, data management, and dynamic maintenance strategy. Additionally, flexible and agile structures, as well as holistic value-oriented design will be required. Therefore development towards dynamic, smart and value-oriented maintenance is necessary.
This thesis presents a model for the design of a dynamic, smart and value-oriented maintenance.

For this purpose, a model of a maintenance management system has been developed according to these aspects, describing the interrelations in maintenance in all relevant aspects and management levels. To implement the maintenance management system, a process-based model is used which strengthens the dynamic and smart alignment of maintenance. Furthermore, the maintenance strategy is optimized dynamically by a methodology based on value-oriented criteria. The application of the methodology is described using a case study. In order to implement the dynamic, smart and value-oriented maintenance in a company, the model includes an introductory process oriented towards change management aspects. Using the example of ROCE (return on capital employed), the value added contribution is represented by a dynamic, smart and value-oriented maintenance.

Automotive Project- and Risk Management in the E-Mobility  

The standardized instruments and procedures, which have been established in the automotive industry for the management of development projects, have stayed unchanged during the last twenty five years. Development projects in the automotive electro-mobility are embedded in a highly dynamic environment with shortened development cycle time. Traditional OEMs are challenged through asymmetrical competition by non-automotive global players. These changed conditions make key automotive development project management instruments collapse. As a result vehicles with an increased risk portfolio are delivered to end customers. These risks adversely affect the interests of stake- and shareholders.

In the initial step, this thesis analyzes the suitability of standardized automotive instruments, processes and models for application in current development projects in the e-mobility. The analysis is based on representative case studies from live development projects. The case studies illustrate the collapse of a project- and risk management approach based on classical automotive procedures when applied in the automotive e-mobility.
After this analysis the theoretical framework for establishing a new model for automotive project- and risk management is discussed. Key elements oft he theoretical framework are: Systems theory, model theory, decision theory, organizational design and generic models for the management of risks and organizations. The new model fuses the principles of the „Leoberner Generic Management Model“ with the COSO ERM framework, which is carried over from the financial economy, to a new model for risk-based project management.  Classical automotive development project phases, which are based on hardware maturity, are replaced by risk-based project phases. Risk determination, risk evaluation and risk treatment are based on the strategic and end customer relevant impact of risks associated with product development. 

Risk determination and the avoidance of risks during inital and early project phases is favoured. The project management instruments de-materialization, substitution and denovation are central elements for the reduction of system-, product-, process and organizational complexity. The reduction of complexity is directly linked to the reduction of the total risk portfolio in the automotive development project. The strategic targets of the new model for risk-based development project management are to increase the value of the organization and to increase its flexibility by full involvement of all stake- and shareholders into the project- and risk management process. For communication and display of risks a balanced risk scorecard is established. From the balanced risk score card, risk-related key performance indicators are generated for each hierarchical and functional group within an organization. The key performance indicators are used for defining risk targets, for risk-based decision making and for tracking the progress of measures taken for risk reduction.
Finally key elements of the new model for risk-based development project management are applied in live development projects for automotive lithium ion batteries for the propulsion of electric vehicles. The efectivity and efficiency of the model is demonstrated in selected anonymous case studies.

Performance Measurement and Management 

Organizations must continuously improve their performance in order to enable sustainable success on the market. They must cope with a steadily increasing complexity and dynamic. This makes it hard for them to keep an overview of their performance. Performance Measurement and Management Systems (PMM-Systems) can help them to keep track of their efficiency as well as effectiveness. Such systems enable companies to channel the efforts of their employees in the direction of business success. Furthermore, they can be used as an early warning system by including leading indicators. However, recent studies show, that besides all advantages such systems offer, they have only partly managed to realize the promoted advantages in practice and are unable to exploit their full potential. One of the main reasons for this are problems during the design and implementation process.

This thesis introduces a participatory model for developing and implementing a customized PMM-System. Implementing such a system causes considerable change within an organization. The model uses insights from the area of change management. It includes several tools which assist the change process and enable organizations to involve their employees in the development process. Thereby, commitment towards PMM as well as the understanding of the system can be enhanced. The design of the PMM-System is mainly based on the Balanced Scorecard. However, it includes some elements of other frameworks. Thanks to an adequate mix of tools based on the importance of the four fields of coordination, the probability of a successful implementation is increased. The model offers a systematic way to design and implement a holistic PMM-System, which includes all management levels. It contains a closed loop system, which describes how the system is used and adopted over time. The proposed model is used to implement a comprehensive PMM-System in two corporate groups.

Generic Management Approach for Accompanying the Planning and Implementation of Large-Scale Investments in the Context of an Interdisciplinary Project Management  

Companies have to accomplish two competing but concurrent demands: the necessity to maintain day-to-day business and to further develop the company and its operations with regard to long-term survivability and competitiveness. The latter is usually realised through projects. The influence of projects on the realising company is lasting. Particularly large-scale real investments modify existing company structures in a complex way by their subsequent integration in the entity after the project development and implementation phases. Consequently, the harmonisation of project activities and the prevalent conditions and requirements in a company is of vital importance. It is a prerequisite to make sure that the project outcome can be incorporated in the company without difficulties and that it can be optimally used in the project-related altered business operations. The objective thesis is based on general considerations regarding corporate management as well as the management of (investment) projects. An emphasis is put on the concept of Generic Management, the characteristics of large-scale real investment projects and the reflection of selected project management standards.

For the basic understanding of the interactions between a company and pursued projects, the interdependencies arsing during project activities with regard to the overall corporate context and with a focus on corporate processes are illustrated. As a superior guideline for the considerations, the approaches of Generic Management are applied. The decisive question is how occurring interactions company vs. project can be managed systematically. In this regard, a management approach is presented, which as a central point of the thesis supports the structured handling of the boundary points between a company and the project management for large-scale real investments at the interface of these two systems. Based on a cybernetic model, the approach enables a topic centred and process-related systematic analysis and control of large-scale real investment projects in the context of the company carrying out the project. For the harmonisation of project and company three relevant perspectives are defined, for which concrete proceedings are discussed. The ambition lies in aligning projects with the corporate objectives and requirements from the beginning and in making transparent, on which areas a special focus has to be placed in order to ensure a long-term successful project realisation.

Referring to the practical handling of the developed approach, its implementation and maintenance as well as the necessary preconditions are discussed. Main issues are an adequate positioning of the proceedings in relation to project management approaches as well as time-related with reference to the project life cycle. In terms of further development and improvement, mechanisms for knowledge management and for monitoring effectiveness are pointed out. The applicability of the developed model in practice is illustrated by ex-post analyses of actual large-scale investments in the field of energy and electricity supply, respectively. Conclusive, beneficial aspects of the approach on behalf of the company carrying out the project as well as on project side are described.  

An Energy Production Technology Assessment for Small and Medium Sized Projects  

Changing political conditions, stakeholder conflicts, emission limits and many more are issues to consider before a new energy production plant is erected, especially in the European Union. Pure economical assessments cannot sufficiently cover those challenges. The field of application for existing multi-dimensional assessment tools are primarily large-scale electricity production plants. However, the importance of decentralised systems with combined use of heat and power rise. Thus, those assessment criteria can deviate and the correct consideration of the different energy products are important. Additionally, the inclusion of the stakeholders and estimation of their risk should not be neglected.
The challenges lead to a new developed multi-dimensional assessment method, named ELiAs. ELiAs bases on a multi-criteria decision analysis and uses criteria from the economical, ecological, technical and socio-political dimensions. A new developed stakeholder weighting enables a categorisation of the stakeholders depending on their probability of exertion of influence, suggestibility and impact of stakeholder. Out of them preventive actions are possible.

The model was tested for a realised geothermal application. An old oil well was re-equipped to a single-hole heat exchanger (SHE) to expand the useful lifetime of the well. The SHE project was compared with common gas condensing boilers. The ELiAs model detected the strengths and weaknesses of SHE and thus the need of research and the advantages towards the gas condensing boiler. Additionally, the results show the view of the stakeholders on the project and their importance of the individual criteria.
However, the new assessment method will not replace existing, in the society and in companies firmly established assessment methods, but it can support decision makers. ELiAs analyses energy production technologies and their location in detail and faces often ignored flaws of such models.

A model to analyse and optimize the capital productivity of the system-stock-bond of single systems at the process industry

The market demand for customized products and high delivery capacity is forcing many com-panies to manufacture flexibly and in small lots. This leads to high levels of work in process and capital costs. Companies have to reduce stocks to a minimum, while maintaining an economical system utilization in order to optimize the capital productivity of system and stock. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to develop a model to analyze the capital productivity of the system-stock-bond of single systems and to provide further analysis and improvement potential. Furthermore this thesis focuses on enterprises in the process industry, which represent a highly complex initial situation.

To answer the research question a model was developed, in which the model of operation curves and the overall equipment effectiveness are combined. Thus, the effects of improving system efficiency to the ideal stock and the average performance of the system are displayed. In order to deduce improvement activities from the results of this model, an analysis-pyramid is presented. This indicates further analysis, standard strategies and proposals for activities to optimize system efficiency and stock. The implementation of this model is exemplified with a case study conducted in the aluminum industry.

Systemic increase of the resource efficiency of complex production systems: Influences, structuring, analysis and evaluation  

The European industry is facing the major challenge of increasing the resource efficiency of their production in order to remain competitive. Especially for companies in the process and basic industries, the increase in efficiency is imperative to counteract trends in the business environment. The use of classical methods of production management for optimizing production and increasing efficiency in this specific production system is stretched to the limits.

In this dissertation, a conversion model is developed based on the theory of production factors and the loss calculation of the Lean Philosophy, which allows systemic resource efficiency increase in complex production systems. To support the process of change, instruments have been designed to enable a holistic loss identification and reduction. To ensure the possibility of using the approach in practice, a study of the structures of the production systems of process and basic industries was conducted and the relevant internal and external factors were determined. A developed IT analysis tool supports the approach of increasing the resource efficiency of complex production systems in process and raw materials industry. The IT tool is used in a company of the non-ferrous metal industry and supports the people involved in the value creation process in the loss reduction and optimization of the production system.

Maintenance strategy selection model for asset intensive industries  

The importance of maintenance increased significantly in the last decades due to a wide range of reasons, include technical and economic aspects. The ongoing substitution of labor by capital leads to the use of modern, intensive fixed-cost, chained plants with high number of units. A comprehensive view is necessary to cover the resulting increase in demands concerning objectives and challenges in maintenance. Strategic planning plays a key role against this background. The making of anticipatory decisions requires high quality methods and instruments.

The dissertation focusses on the development of a model for the selection of maintenance strategies for components in chained, capital intensive industries with a high number of similar units. To fulfill the research assignment, in the first section of the thesis the tasks of maintenance are discussed before the focus is set on strategic maintenance management (chapter 2 and 3). Besides the discussion of the target elements, the role of strategic planning and the leadership instruments, also the relevant factors for determining the maintenance strategy are derived. Due to the significant impact of the failure behavior of units also reliability theory and multivariate data analysis methods are shown (chapter 4). Prior the presentation of the developed model, a classification and critical appraisal of existing approaches is done (chapter 5).

The answer to the main research question is carried out explicitly in chapter 6. In the pre-sented model, the conceptual and methodical requirements as well as insights of the critical appraisal are merged. Following the introduction of a unit differentiation framework based on property and influence characteristics, the individual steps of the model are presented. These steps are: prioritization of the units, determination of failure behavior, and selection of the strategy. Finally a discussion of the dynamic aspects as well as a critical appraisal of the model is done. Chapter 7 shows the practical implementation and the verification of the model. The se-lected units were mechanical seals of centrifugal pumps installed in an oil and gas company. In the final part of the thesis (chapter 8) the summary of the essential contents of the dissertation and the reflection on the research questions posed at the beginning is done. Furthermore, recommendations concerning possible future research areas are given.

Guideline for the process-oriented optimization of intercompany supply chains drawing on the example of a logistics service provider

The situation of companies has changed significantly over the last view years and is characterized by strong, international competition as well as high cost pressure. This situation requires to be tackled by the strategic management as well, achieving competitive advantages not only on cost, quality of products and services, but also via related processes of the entire supply chain. Thus the field of logistics has evolved as one of the success factors for companies over the last years. To secure competitiveness, all processes have to be developed effectively (and efficiently) in terms of process management. With this dissertation the management, which has to analyze, align, create and steer the complete supply chain of logistical services, receives an IT based guideline that offers a continuous support of the individual strategic working steps. Against the background that the area of courier-, express- and parcel services as field of research has been less explored compared to other areas, e.g. industrial production, it moves into the centre of this multiple case study.

Knowledge-based approaches for operational production management in the flexibility-oriented process industry 

The early 1990s onset trend towards customized production led to the development of production strategies such as Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Total Quality Management, Lean Management and Agile Manufacturing. Agile Manufacturing aims mainly to a higher flexibility of production, ie the ability of a production system to adapt to unforeseen changes in production situations. On the other hand, the rapid development of IT has led to an improvement of the computer-based production planning and control systems and the development of knowledge-based approaches.

This work starts at this point. The aim is to contribute to the solution of research questions that deal with knowledge-based approaches to the analysis and improvement of production systems. The focus is on flexibility-oriented production systems in the process industry, which have been considered less in the research. The core of this work is to answer the question which knowledge-based approaches are suitable to design and improve the operational production management in a flexibility-oriented process industry.

After a characterization of the flexibility-oriented process industry a method for collaborative MRP is developed that is based on existing supply chain management approaches. By improving the transfer of knowledge delivery reliability was significantly increased by the example of a supply chain in the aluminum industry. Furthermore, this work deals with data mining and explains the use of data mining methods to discover potentially useful knowledge that is implicitly present in existing data of production planning systems and can help to derive scheduling rules and improve logistical targets. The application of the concept results in an approach to a knowledge-based production planning system and brought a significant reduction in processing time and resources for a defined process route in a flexibility-oriented integrated aluminum rolling mill.

With the developed so-called lean data mining approach wastes in production can be discovered using data mining with the aim to derive improvement actions and to design processes with minimum waste, like short lead times, that means lean.

The Knowledge Based Economy Approach - Knowledge Management in project-intensive enterprises using the example of OMV E&P  

Knowledge is THE resource of the 21st century and the most important factor of success in a competitive business environment. Nevertheless, if these statements are correct, now, after almost twenty years of an intensive floating scientific discussion a huge number of proper and feasible models and tools must be in place and extensively used by an increasing community of users. Knowledge Management must be on top of management disciplines and a mandatory factor in steering companies. Indeed, the euphoria of the late 90ies is gone, Knowledge Management did simply not delivered what management expected – KM is not a stand-alone technical solution based on information technology, the possibility to store data is not equal to the ability generating knowledge for a company.

It is obvious that the scientific discussion stuck in middle – the are no new knowledge management models available, the is no process of evolution. The doctoral thesis is an attempt to leave common paths of discussion and observations it is try in finding new interpretations as well as practical models of knowledge management – it is not an attempt in getting rid of all common KM models in place it an evolution of starting thinking KM from scratch.

Strategic Innovation Management

Multi-dimensional problems are key issues in strategic innovation management. Strategic positioning, evaluation of both product and process innovations and the creation of organizational structures which support innovative behavior each deal with multiple management options and complex social systems. The goal of this doctoral thesis is to provide guidelines and valuation techniques that optimize the benefit to an innovative organization and to its stakeholders. The research focuses on industrial innovation. First, a theoretical framework to identify development options for an organization is developed. Based on empirical research success factors of environmentally-orientated innovation management are revealed. Second, both economic evaluation methods and ecological assessment measures are discussed. A consolidated appraisal methodology and options of decision aids to compare conflicting alternatives defined by multiple attributes are presented. In addition, factors with regard to organizational culture, innovation processes and project management to enable innovation are highlighted. Finally, a qualitative study among technical staff was conducted in order to contrast approaches of practitioners in early stages of the the innovation process.  

Anticipating Strategic Risks by Fuzzy-based Scenario Monitoring on the Example of Oil Price Developments

The increasing dynamism in the business environment enlarges the gap between required and available response time to external changes. Therefore the anticipation of strategic risks at an early stage is essential especially in turbulent times.

The petroleum upstream industry faces an unstable environment which creates various strategic risks. Aside to the economic crisis the opportunistic behaviour concerning the access to reserves or the emerging national oil companies are key concerns of international oil companies. Internally cost controlling and the influence of changing fiscal terms, and the operations in more and more marginal and mature fields represent other challenges. An even higher uncertainty is initiated by the unpredictability of the oil price, which is primar-ily responsible for the economic wealth of an oil company and determines their strategies and project decisions. Scenarios are adequate methods to deal with uncertainty at this ex-tent and provide a basis for the preparation of the business for future developments of the oil price.

To take advantage of oil price scenarios it is necessary to monitor them by a comparison with actual developments. Instead of waiting until a certain limit for an influencing factor is achieved it is preferable to anticipate also moderate changes which indicate the develop-ment towards a specific scenario path. The application of fuzzy models for this purpose allow the representation of the underlying system and disclose the membership of the ac-tual situation to the scenario paths even in the case of marginal changes. As a consequence the combination of the two methods represents an improvement of strategic early warning systems and transforms uncertainty to a determined risk.

Strategic implications for energy utilties in the Austrian energy market with regard to sustainable development  

The concept of sustainable development is more a multi-dimensional theory then a simple decision-making tool. Therefore it is not easy to integrate the concept of sustainable development into the process of strategy development. But top-management needs a manageable tool to integrate the concept of sustainable development into the process of strategy development. The purpose of this work is to examine the strategic implications for energy utilities in the deregeulated electricity and gas market with regard to the concept of sustainable development. The result of this research is the development of a concept for strategy development for energy utilities which integrates all dimensions of sustainable development. The research focuses on the process of strategy development and not on the financial impact of different strategies. Thus this research work can be assigned to the research field of strategic processes. The aim of the esearch is to asnwer the following question: Which strategic instrument allows energy utilities to integrate the concept of sustainable development into the process of strategy development?

Production planning and control in the process industry: A concept for optimizing logistic objective criterions  

During the past years the market demand and the consequential competition have forced enterprises of the production industry to choose strategies that focus on both product differentiation and cost leadership. Due to this development the importance of efficient production processes has increased immensely. The objective of this doctoral thesis is to find answers to research questions that deal with the optimization of logistic objective criterions by using production planning techniques. Furthermore this thesis focuses on enterprises of the process industry since they have been paid little attention in literature so far. This is due to the fact that these production systems show very complex structures and a high heterogeneity in the production program. In order to give answers to the research questions a concept for optimizing the logistic performance of production systems is introduced. This concept is based on the regulation principle of cybernetics and the main idea is that a primary logistic objective criterion has to be chosen and optimized before measures to improve the other logistic performances of the production system can be developed. Therefore an instrument for evaluating the effects of optimizing measures on logistic objective criterions is presented. Furthermore an algorithm is developed which represents a general instruction for the machine scheduling problem in the process industry. The application of the concept is illustrated on a real-world problem of the steel industry.

Assessing an integrated maintenance management: framework and methodical application

Plant maintenance gains greater weight in capital intensive, producing corporations as profit is strongly dependent on optimal use of the plant assets. However, surveys show large saving potentials which can be tapped by a holistic maintenance management system. Furthermore a national study illustrates that the coordinating tools within a maintenance management are weakly distinct and the importance of plant asset management is altogether underestimated. First in this thesis the influence of maintenance on the strategic success factors will be discussed as well as already existing approaches in literature and operational experience for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness in maintenance management. Sequentially management approaches are explained which put a holistic maintenance management in a generic frame. Consecutively the arrangement of an integrated maintenance management model will be focused. To meet the object of this thesis, even the development of a generic assessment model for the maintenance management, it will be discussed about the requirements such a model has to satisfy. Following, approaches from literature and operational experience will be critically appreciated according to their completeness, practicability and quality of reproduction. The needs regarding to the generic completeness and methodology are put into a holistic assessment model. This consists of a content frame and a methodic procedure.

The content frame is a combined structure-process model and implies all aspects of a holistic maintenance management system including the business environment. Assessing these aspects according to a maturity model does not end in itself, rather the assessment should initiate a process of discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the maintenance management and therefore target at the room of improvement. The predefinition and valuation of the results (outcome and impact indicators) enable a strategic controlling process which leads to a suitable development of the maintenance management. The implementation and the partial verification of the model take place in an Austrian company in the primary industry.

Selection of Management Tools for Complexity Adequate Support of Decision-Making Processes in Groups

Managers at all organisational levels make more or less consciously various decisions day after day. In non-trivial situations the decision-making process is often methodically supported. Practical experiences show that even the choice of appropriate management tools for supporting decision-making processes is a well known decision-making problem itself. Within the presented thesis the author attends to this problem and develops a selection model for supporting the decision-making process. Initial points are the decision-oriented business management as appropriate perspective and constructivist positioning within the philosophy of science. Relevant chapters of decision theory including decision-making processes and complexity of decisions are discussed as well as tools which are substantial for this thesis and existing concepts. Core of the thesis is a developed phase model for complexity-adequate support of the tool choice. The model is concretized and analysed by means of two case studies. One case study investigates the decision-making process of a melting crucible investment within the steel industry; the other one examines investments of E&P companies in the petroleum industry.

Assessing Corporate Social Responsibility in Industrial Firms: the CSR-Assessment

The aim of this thesis is to develop a comprehensive assessment for Corporate Social Re-sponsibility (CSR) which is here defined as social sustainability. The CSR-assessment is aimed to enable firms from the energy and materials industries to actively integrate stakeholders in the assessment process.

The methodological procedure of the thesis and the assessment is based on the cognition theory as well as on systems theory. For the determination of CSR-aspects, industrial firms are discussed from a CSR perspective. Therefore, claims of stakeholders as well as of the company towards CSR are deductively derived and finally validated empirically by sustainability experts. Finally, a reference model with 20 CSR-aspects is defined. These aspects describe the CSR commitment of a firm in a generic manner. Guidance is pro-vided for companies to demonstrate how to handle these CSR-aspects. In order to develop a substantiated assessment, already existing assessments are evaluated, based on three criteria groups (completeness, practicability, quality of reproduction). The analysed models show various strengths and weaknesses; distinct ideas can be further used for the de-velopment of an appropriate assessment.

Based on the defined CSR-aspects, a CSR-assessment is developed in order to provide companies with useful systematics, to control the actual situation and to develop specific measures in order to reach defined goals. The CSR-assessment consists of six steps and is designed to be used as a kind of controlling method, with the embodiment of several ma-turity levels. Different to existing self-assessments, the here proposed model actively integrates relevant stakeholders into the assessment and therefore allows for a balanced perspective on CSR. The assessment enables the firm to learn effectively regarding CSR, the conduction of change processes with the already defined CSR goals so that improvement towards CSR is assured. Finally, the CSR-assessment is conducted in a European steel company and hence to validate the practicability of the CSR-assessment.

Process model for the operational management of manufacturing enterprises

Corporate management is confronted with the problem that the transformation of strategic plans into operational activities and its implementation in many cases does not lead to the desired success. The objectives, developed in the strategic planning process, often miss equivalents in terms of potentials for action and therefore result in weaknesses of realization. The present thesis focuses on the operational corporate governance of manufacturing enterprises with particular emphasis on target-oriented business management. For that purpose existing management models are subjected to close and critical scrutiny and their applicability in terms of contributing to a solution of the problem examined.

The paper goes on to develop a process model that facilitates target-oriented operational corporate management and uses the available potentials of courses of action in its best way in order to continuously increase the enterprise value. The model is structured within a multi-dimensional system and explored in the aspects of processes, structures, evaluation and corporate culture. The adjustment and integration of TPM constitutes a further significant element within the overall concept. The issue of general applicability is then examined on a particular case study, in order to verify the effectiveness of the process model and to deduce from it recommendations in terms of potential courses of action for the management of manufacturing enterprises.

Techniques and instruments for measuring customer satisfaction

Today, customer satisfaction is one of the most crucial success factors of enterprises. As shown in several studies, there is a strong positive correlation between customer satisfaction and profitability of an organization.

Therefore, an efficient and effective method to define and measure customer satisfaction is necessary not only to obtain valid results but also to identify potentials for further organisational development. Specific literature provides extensive information and numerous tools to measure customer satisfaction, each of them with a slightly different focus. Managers have to face the challenge of choosing the most appropriate method depending on the customer structure, the products, etc. In this doctoral thesis, a 4-step-procedure was developed that enables the manager to quickly assess these numerous customer satisfaction methods. A questionnaire shall guide the manager step by step towards his understatement of customer, customer satisfaction and finally to his tool for customer satisfaction measurement.

Holistic Risk Management Model for Industrial Enterprises and its Exemplary Application in Maintenance

Because of the identified demand for risk management conceptions, a risk management model is developed in this doctoral thesis. The starting point of the derivation is the finding, that risks have to be handled on base of a structured decision process (risk management process). This means the risk management process is an essential part of risk management, although risk management must not be reduced to this single dimension, because a holistic view of risk management means, that in addition to the risk management process all relevant aspects of the management function have to be taken into account. In this doctoral thesis the derivation of the risk management model is founded on three guiding ideas, that is the decision based science of industrial management, the St.Galler management conception, and the Leobner generic management conception.

Based on these guiding ideas, on the basics of the risk management process, and on the fundamental facts of industrial enterprises, a risk management model is derived and described in detail for the maintenance function. The detailed description of the model for the maintenance function should be the starting point for further research work in the future and the base for the implementation of the model in industrial enterprises.

Systems Transformation: Requirements and procedure for the transformation to a holistic management system

The lack of a systematic decision base respectively a stringent procedure for the transformation of management systems in the specific context of organisations makes clear, that the management of transformation itself has to be understood as an additional essential element during the establishment of holistic management systems. For this reason this thesis provides a catalogue of requirements for transformation models witch bases on various research disciplines like general management, management systems, change management and coordination.

Following this catalogue of requirements current implementation concepts of management systems are evaluated and areas for improvement are identified. Upon this and the value chain idea of Porter relevant elements of a model for the transformation in the direction of holistic management systems are identified and described in detail. The valuation of the model is provided by pilot-implementation at Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH, a major company of the German steel industry.

Analysis of management concepts towards functional and cultural aspects

Corporate Innovation - Management von Innovationen im Konzern

In contemporary economic and technology policy raising innovative capabilities of firms is central to the competitiveness of a business location. The basic premise for national or regional innovativeness is the aggregate of all firms' innovative capabilities, especially those of groups. Against this background, the aim of this thesis is to investigate the conditions, which are necessary for increasing the innovative capabilities of groups and which are improving the efficiency of group wide innovation processes. The goals were to develop and implement a practice-orientated process model for this group wide innovation process and to deduce recommendations for the realisation of a successful innovation management in groups. To ensure practical relevance an intensive co-operation with the Management Holding of the BÖHLER UDDEHOLM Group and the BÖHLER THYSSEN Group and with subsidiaries in Austria and abroad occured. Consequently, the practical problems involved with the management of innovation within groups were pointed out and integrated in the scientific investigations. As a result practice-orientated recommendations for these problems were deduced. 

Risk controlling in the performance economy: Applications of instruments and methods in the performance process

Performance Measurement Konzeption für die Logistik

Wissensbilanz - Entwicklung und Implementierung eines Bewertungsinstrumentes zur strategischen Planung und Steuerung im F&E Management unter besonderer Berücksichtigung immaterieller Vermögenswerte

Industrielle Dienstleistungslogistik: Ein Systematisierungsmodell zur Optimierung entlang der Supply Chain

Integrierte Bewertung leistungswirtschaftlicher ökologischer und ökonomischer Aspekte unter Gesichtspunkten des Sustainable Development

Die lernende Instandhaltungsorganisation: Ein Anwendungsmodell am Beispiel der Stillstandsreduktion

Ganzheitliche Technologiebewertung - Entwicklung eines ganzheitlichen Modells zur Bewertung unterschiedlicher Produktionstechnologien

Supply Chain Management in der Grundstoffindustrie - Ein integratives Modell

Informationspathologie: Störungen und Ineffizienzen im Informationsfluß einer Organisation

Innovationsorientierte Unternehmensführung duch den permanenten Verbesserungsprozess