Bücher von Manuel Kaar

Master's Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Energy Sciences, grade: 5.5 (Schweizer Notensystem), Anglia Ruskin University (FHNW University of Applied Sciences Basel (School of Business) & Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge (Ashcroft International Business School)), course: Focus: Renewable energy, public R&D funding, firm competitiveness, language: English, abstract: This thesis studies the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in publicly funded research and development (R&D) projects. SMEs represent 99% of all companies in Europe and are important drivers of innovation, yet many lack the necessary resources to engage in formal research activities. Providing these firms with the possibility to make use of public funding programmes for R&D projects therefore constitutes a way of stimulating them to innovate. Reviews of such programmes, however, show that SME participation is frequently lower than desired by policy makers. This raises the question of the benefits SMEs can gain from such projects and the barriers that negatively influence their ability to participate. The author hypothesises that taking part in publicly funded R&D projects can positively influence an SME¿s competitiveness through a specific set of advantages gained from participation. The second hypothesis is that companies with previous experience in such projects evaluate their participation positively. Finally, the author puts forward that a number of specific barriers limit SMEs¿ ability to participate. The hypotheses were tested by means of an online survey among Swiss SMEs in the field of renewable energy, as well as interviews with representatives of national and EU funding bodies. The results support all three hypotheses and confirm the importance of the public measures. Participation in publicly funded R&D projects can indeed have positive impacts on an SME¿s competitiveness. Also, companies tend to evaluate their participation positively. SMEs with previous experience in such projects were well-informed about the specifics of a participation prior to filing an application, whereas a substantial lack of information exists on the part of companies without previous experience. This study adds to the existing pool of literature on SME competitiveness, and through its narrow focus addresses a very specific area where little research has been conducted to date. As such, the thesis is of relevance to the business, research, and political communities.

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1, University of applied sciences, language: English, abstract: When commencing to plan a study, researchers face the oftentimes challenging task to decide on the adequate research method for their investigation problem at hand. Since the appropriateness of a study, as well as its ability to be accepted as scientific research, depend very much on the correct choice of the applied research method(s), the decision process for the latter constitutes a crucial phase of the overall research operation. As many researchers encounter ambiguities when it comes to selecting the suitable research technique, this paper provides a critical reflection on several arguments for and against the employment of in-depth interviews, one of the most common tools used in qualitative research. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to consider the strengths and weaknesses of in-depth interviews from various angles, in order to advance the perspicuity of the question in which situations it is apt to use interviews as a research tool and when to better search for alternative methods. To arrive at this objective, four main issues have been explored through a review of already existing literature. First, the merits of individual in-depth interviews are examined. Then the paper addresses the question of what possible drawbacks one may come across when selecting in-depth interviewing as a research method. Furthermore, a short comment on the application of indepth interviews in qualitative tourism research is given. Finally, in the conclusions/recommendations section it is explained for which types of investigations the in-depth interview is the appropriate research technique. As indicated above, the main focus of this paper is not on providing a guide for the general set-up and implication process of an in-depth interview. The main spotlight is rather on the enhancement of the detailed knowledge of researchers on in-depth interviews, with the ultimate goal to make a contribution to increase the number of cases where research methods have been appropriately chosen. Hence, a certain level of previous knowledge about in-depth interviewing is expected from the reader in order to be able to follow the content of this paper.

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2009 in the subject Economics - Macro-economics, general, grade: 1.2, University of applied sciences, language: English, abstract: There have been numerous incidents in one or more countries in the past that led to sudden and unexpected reductions in demand for tourism services and confronted travel businesses with an economic environment of high uncertainty. However, the current financial and economic crisis appears to be of a larger dimension than most other crises before, and numerous experts around the globe agree that the present economic slowdown has the potential to become one of the most challenging and transformational disturbances on a supranational level since the Great Depression. Predictions of future developments are vague and can only be educated speculation at best, yet for the tourism industry the initial effects of this first major crisis of the globalization era are already clearly perceptible. Drawing on an extensive review of already existing literature, this paper explains the various milestones during the period that led to the 2007-2009 global financial and economic disorder, and subsequently considers a choice of selected key implications for the tourism industry and associated businesses. The aim of this paper is therefore to provide an academically substantiated reference guide for market participants and policy-makers alike, with the ultimate purpose of making a contribution to reduce the number of cases where wrong decisions lead to major difficulties or even the failure of a destination or an individual business. Results of the research indicate that the identified impacts are likely to intensify throughout 2009 and 2010, and that the crisis will most likely also entail fundamental changes for the industry on a long-term basis. In particular, it was found that in the medium term decreased public funding for tourism projects and restricted access to capital are likely to force many travel businesses into serious liquidity problems. This may cause a series of reactions, including widespread workforce reductions and severe cuts in the quality of the provided services. Besides, the crisis is likely to have considerable effects on the way leisure and corporate travel is conducted, as for instance shorter and less frequent trips or a stronger tendency towards cost containment. However, the paper also points out that every crisis embodies a great number of opportunities and provides an analysis of a range of selected chances for destinations and tourism businesses. [...]