hohPublica (University of Hohenheim)
Not a member yet
12283 research outputs found
Sort by
Evaluation of energetic potential of slaughterhouse waste and its press water obtained by pressure-induced separation via anaerobic digestion
Full text linkAnaerobic digestion has the potential to convert organic waste materials into valuable energy. At the same time, using press water from biomass materials for energy generation while taking advantage of the resulting cake for other purposes is an emerging approach. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the residual potential expected from a typical biogas feedstock after it has been mechanically separated into liquid and solid phases. Hence, in this study, the rumen contents of ruminants (cow, goat, and sheep) and their proportionate ratios were obtained from an abattoir in Ghana. Resource characterization of the waste samples was carried out in the central laboratory of the HFR, Germany. Anaerobic batch tests for biogas (biomethane) yield determination were set up using the Hohenheim Biogas Yield Test (HBT). The inoculum used was obtained from an inoculum production unit at the Hohenheim University biogas laboratory. The trial involved two different forms of the sample: mixture of rumen contents, press water, and inoculum, each in four (4) replicates. The trial was carried out at a mesophilic temperature of 37 °C. Results obtained over a seventy (70) day period were transformed into biogas yields. Overall, the results show that the current contents are suitable for biogas generation as an option as opposed to the current form of disposal at a refuse dump. However, using these mixtures in their original forms is more technically viable than using press water without further treatment.This research was carried out in the context of ‘Level-Up CLIENT II joint project Climate Protection: “Upgrading local markets through the use of biogenic residues”: Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FKZ: 01LZ1905A)’ and support from the Regional Centre for energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES) as well as the DAAD contributions to the author’s stay in Rottenburg.German Federal Ministry of Education and ResearchRegional Centre for energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES)DAA
Use of seasonal forecasts in smallholder agricultural decision-making in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia
Full text linkSmallholder farmers in Ethiopia’s Central Rift Valley face pronounced risks from climate variability and erratic rainfall, challenges that threaten agricultural productivity, food security, and rural livelihoods. Rising climate hazards have spurred the promotion of seasonal precipitation forecasts as a promising means of supporting adaptation, yet the translation of such information into tangible adaptive action depends on a complex interplay of local agro-ecological conditions, available adaptation strategies, and behavioral responses.
This thesis provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary investigation into the economic value, adoption dynamics, and policy implications of seasonal forecast information for smallholder farmers, integrating agent-based modelling, dynamic risk assessment, crop-growth simulation, and framed field experiments. A principal focus of the research is the evaluation of adaptive management strategies for smallholder farmers enabled by seasonal forecasts. Examined strategies include crop and cultivar selection in response to rainfall outlooks, optimized planting dates, forecast-driven fertilizer management, and flexible in-season adjustments (such as crop switching or tied ridging). Each option is rigorously evaluated using observational, experimental and simulated data.
In assessing the practical impacts of integrating seasonal rainfall forecast information into smallholder agricultural decision making, the results of this thesis indicate that forecast-based cultivar selection has the potential to support more effective management strategies for farmers in Ethiopia’s Central Rift Valley. By enabling better alignment of cultivar choices with anticipated seasonal rainfall conditions, farmers can enhance the adaptive capacity of their management practices in the face of climate variability. While the observed financial gains under realistic forecast accuracy are modest, these findings highlight that forecast-based cultivar selection can serve as a valuable decision-support tool. However, realizing the full potential of this approach depends not only on improvements in forecast skill, but also on the availability of reliable evidence regarding cultivar performance under diverse weather conditions and on substantial changes to seed breeding and distribution systems. Only when forecast-matching cultivars are made available to farmers promptly can the benefits of high-accuracy seasonal rainfall forecasts be more fully achieved.
In the subsequent analysis, this thesis applies a state-contingent embedded risk framework to systematically explore how the timing of smallholder management decisions—specifically crop choice, sowing date, tied-ridging, relay cropping, and fertilization—can be optimized in light of seasonal rainfall forecast information. Using multi-stage discrete stochastic programming, the study evaluates adaptive strategies at the whole-farm level by simulating crop yield responses to management choices across 2,400 possible weather trajectories. The results show that forecast-informed management decisions can improve farmer income, but the extent and consistency of these benefits vary across seasons. The findings further reveal that opportunities for in-season adjustment—rather than choices made solely at the start of the season—are especially critical for achieving positive results in response to forecast information. By evaluating the long-term impacts of forecast-based decision making at the whole-farm level in the Central Rift Valley, this study emphasizes the need for more tailored and effective communication and advisory services of seasonal rainfall forecasts. In addition, the analysis highlights the inherent unpredictability of agricultural outcomes under climate uncertainty and demonstrates the continuing importance of building empirical understanding of how management actions and varying weather conditions together shape farm performance. These insights suggest that policy interventions aimed at strengthening real-time advisory systems and supporting farmers’ capacity for flexible, adaptive management are essential for fully realizing the benefits of seasonal rainfall forecasting in smallholder agriculture.
The third component of the thesis explores how smallholder farmers receive, interpret, and act upon seasonal precipitation forecasts, drawing on evidence from framed field experiments conducted in Ethiopia’s Central Rift Valley. The analysis demonstrates that neither improvements in forecast accuracy nor dissemination of information alone are sufficient to induce significant behavioral change among farmers. Adoption is most likely when seasonal precipitation forecasts are communicated repeatedly, presented in clear and actionable formats, and tailored to local realities through trusted channels. The results further indicate that factors such as farmers’ education levels, prior experience with seasonal forecasts, and regular engagement with extension services play a central role in facilitating effective use of such information. The findings highlight the potential of digital innovations, such as smartphone-based advisories and AI-supported tools, to improve the reach and personalization of seasonal precipitation forecasts, provided these solutions are developed through participatory and user-centered approaches. Overall, the study underscores the importance of aligning advisory services with both the informational and contextual needs of smallholder farmers in order to foster more effective and inclusive adaptation to climate variability.
Overall, the results of this thesis emphasize that the benefits of seasonal rainfall forecasts can only be fully realized through an integrated approach. This requires the combination of advances in forecast technology, adaptive input systems, effective communication, and supportive policy environments. Comprehensive and locally tailored adaptation packages—linking seasonal rainfall forecast information to improved access to seed and inputs, credit, training, and extension services—emerge as the most effective strategy for strengthening resilience. Ultimately, by connecting quantitative modeling, empirical experimentation, and policy analysis, this thesis provides a robust foundation for scaling up inclusive, impactful advisory systems based on seasonal rainfall forecasts to better equip smallholder farmers for managing risks associated with increasing rainfall variability.Landwirtschaftliche Betriebe im zentralen Rift Valley Äthiopiens sind erheblichen Risiken durch Klimaschwankungen und unregelmäßige Niederschläge ausgesetzt – Herausforderungen, die die landwirtschaftliche Produktivität, die Ernährungssicherheit und die Lebensgrundlagen der ländlichen Bevölkerung gefährden. Zunehmende klimabedingte Gefahren lassen saisonale Niederschlagsvorhersagen als vielversprechendes Mittel zur Unterstützung landwirtschaftlicher Betrieben erscheinen. Die Umsetzung solcher vorhersagebasierter Informationen in konkrete Anpassungsmaßnahmen hängt jedoch von einem komplexen Zusammenspiel lokaler agroökologischer Bedingungen, verfügbarer Anpassungsstrategien und Verhaltensreaktionen ab.
Diese Promotionsschrift enthält eine umfassende, interdisziplinäre Untersuchung des wirtschaftlichen Werts, der Dynamik der Akzeptanz und der politischen Implikationen saisonaler Vorhersageinformationen für Kleinbauern, wobei agentenbasierte Modellierung, dynamische Risikoanalyse, biophysikalische Simulationsmodelle und verhaltenswissenschaftliche Feldexperimente integriert werden. Ein Schwerpunkt der Forschung ist die Bewertung von Strategien des Anpassungsmanagements, die durch saisonale Vorhersagen ermöglicht werden. Zu den untersuchten Strategien gehören die Auswahl von Kulturpflanzen und Sorten als Reaktion auf Niederschlagsprognosen, optimierte Aussaattermine, vorhersagegesteuertes Düngemittelmanagement und flexible Anpassungen während der Saison (wie z. B. Wechsel der Kulturpflanzen oder Bodenbearbeitung). Jede Option wird anhand der experimentellen Daten rigoros bewertet und auf Ebene der landwirtschaftlichen Betriebshaushalte analysiert.
Bei der Bewertung der praktischen Auswirkungen von saisonalen Niederschlagsprognosen in der Entscheidungsfindung zeigen die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit, dass die auf Prognosen basierende Auswahl von Kulturpflanzen das Potenzial hat, effektivere Bewirtschaftungsstrategien für Landwirte im zentralen Rift Valley Äthiopiens zu unterstützen. Durch eine bessere Abstimmung der Sortenauswahl auf die erwarteten saisonalen Niederschlagsbedingungen könnten Landwirte die Anpassungsfähigkeit ihrer Bewirtschaftungspraktiken angesichts klimatischer Schwankungen verbessern. Obwohl die möglichen finanziellen Gewinne bei realistischer Prognosegenauigkeit bescheiden sind, zeigen diese Ergebnisse, dass die prognosebasierte Sortenauswahl als wertvolles Instrument zur Entscheidungsunterstützung dienen kann. Die Ausschöpfung des vollen Potenzials dieses Ansatzes hängt jedoch nicht nur von Verbesserungen der Prognosefähigkeiten ab, sondern auch von der Verfügbarkeit zuverlässiger Daten über die Leistungsfähigkeit von Sorten unter verschiedenen Wetterbedingungen und von wesentlichen Änderungen der Saatgutvermehrungs- und -verteilungssysteme. Nur wenn den Landwirten zeitnah prognosegerechte Sorten zur Verfügung gestellt werden, können die Vorteile hochpräziser saisonaler Niederschlagsprognosen voll ausgeschöpft werden.
Im zweiten Teil der Analyse wendet diese Arbeit einen zustandsabhängiges, mehrstufiges Entscheidungsmodell unter Risiko an, um systematisch zu untersuchen, wie der Zeitpunkt von Managemententscheidungen – insbesondere die Wahl der Kulturpflanzen, der Aussaatzeitpunkt, das Anlegen von wasserrückhaltenden Furchen, der Anbau von Zwischenfrüchten und die Düngung – unter Berücksichtigung saisonaler Niederschlagsprognosen optimiert werden kann. Mithilfe eines mehrstufigen diskreten stochastischen Programmierungsmodells bewertet die Studie adaptive Strategien auf Ebene des gesamten Betriebs, indem sie die Ernteerträge in Abhängigkeit von Managemententscheidungen für 2.400 mögliche Wetterverläufe simuliert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass vorhersagebasierte Managemententscheidungen das Einkommen der Betriebe verbessern können, wobei das Ausmaß und die Beständigkeit dieser Vorteile je nach Jahreszeit variieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen außerdem, dass Anpassungen während der Saison – und nicht nur Entscheidungen zu Beginn der Saison – besonders wichtig sind, um positive Ergebnisse auf der Grundlage von Prognoseinformationen zu erzielen. Durch die Bewertung der langfristigen Auswirkungen von prognosebasierten Entscheidungen auf Ebene des gesamten Betriebs im Central Rift Valley unterstreicht diese Studie die Notwendigkeit einer maßgeschneiderten und effektiven Kommunikation und Beratung zu saisonalen Niederschlagsprognosen. Darüber hinaus unterstreicht die Analyse die inhärente Unvorhersehbarkeit landwirtschaftlicher Erträge unter klimatischen Unsicherheiten und zeigt, wie wichtig es weiterhin ist, ein empirisches Verständnis dafür zu entwickeln, wie Managementmaßnahmen und unterschiedliche Wetterbedingungen gemeinsam die Leistung landwirtschaftlicher Betriebe beeinflussen. Diese Erkenntnisse legen nahe, dass politische Maßnahmen zur Stärkung von Echtzeit-Beratungssystemen und zur Förderung der Fähigkeit der Landwirte zu flexibler, anpassungsfähiger Bewirtschaftung unerlässlich sind, um die Vorteile saisonaler Niederschlagsvorhersagen in der kleinbäuerlichen Landwirtschaft voll auszuschöpfen.
Der dritte Teil der Arbeit untersucht, wie Betriebsleiter saisonale Niederschlagsprognosen aufnehmen, interpretieren und darauf reagieren, und stützt sich dabei auf verhaltenswissenschaftliche Feldexperimente, die im zentralen Rift Valley in Äthiopien durchgeführt wurden. Die Analyse zeigt, dass weder Verbesserungen der Prognosegenauigkeit noch der direkte Zugang zu Informationen allein ausreichen, um eine signifikante Verhaltensänderung herbeizuführen. Die Akzeptanz unter den Landwirten ist am größten, wenn saisonale Niederschlagsprognosen wiederholt kommuniziert, in klaren und umsetzbaren Formaten präsentiert und über vertrauenswürdige Kanäle an die lokalen Gegebenheiten angepasst werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen ferner, dass Faktoren wie der Bildungsstand der Landwirte, frühere Erfahrungen mit saisonalen Vorhersagen und die regelmäßige Inanspruchnahme von Beratungsdiensten eine zentrale Rolle bei der Förderung der effektiven Nutzung solcher Informationen spielen. Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen das Potenzial digitaler Innovationen wie Smartphone-basierter Beratungsdienste und KI-gestützter Tools zur Verbesserung der Reichweite und Personalisierung saisonaler Niederschlagsvorhersagen, sofern diese Lösungen durch partizipative und nutzerorientierte Ansätze entwickelt werden. Insgesamt unterstreicht die Studie, wie wichtig es ist, Beratungsdienste auf die Informations- und Kontextbedürfnisse von Landwirten abzustimmen, um eine effektivere und inklusivere Anpassung an Klimaschwankungen zu fördern.
Insgesamt unterstreichen die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit, dass die Vorteile saisonaler Niederschlagsvorhersagen nur durch einen integrierten Ansatz voll ausgeschöpft werden können. Dies erfordert die Kombination von Fortschritten in der Vorhersagetechnologie, adaptiven Inputsystemen, effektiven Kommunikationskanälen und unterstützenden politischen Rahmenbedingungen. Umfassende und lokal angepasste Anpassungspakete, die saisonale Niederschlagsvorhersagen mit einem verbesserten Zugang zu Saatgut und Betriebsmitteln, Krediten, Schulungen und Beratungsdiensten verbinden, erweisen sich als die wirksamste Strategie zur Stärkung der Widerstandsfähigkeit. Letztendlich bietet diese Arbeit durch die Verbindung von quantitativer Modellierung, empirischen Experimenten und politischer Analyse eine solide Grundlage für den Ausbau integrativer, wirkungsvoller Beratungssysteme auf der Grundlage saisonaler Niederschlagsvorhersagen, um landwirtschaftliche Betriebe besser für das Management der mit zunehmender Niederschlagsvariabilität verbundenen Risiken zu rüsten
Sensor-guided mechanical weed control in transplanted lettuce and cabbage
Full text linkEffective weed control is extremely important in vegetable production because weeds affect yield and quality of vegetable crops. Usually, only combinations of preventive and direct weed control methods can sufficiently suppress weeds. Therefore, costs for weeding are much higher in vegetables compared to most arable crops. Due to restrictions for herbicide use in vegetables, alternative and efficient direct weeding methods are urgently needed. Six field experiments with transplanted cabbage and lettuce were conducted in Southwestern Germany to quantify the weed control efficacy (WCE) and crop response of sensor-guided mechanical weed control methods with different degrees of automation. A camera-guided inter-row hoe with automatic side-shift control alone and combined with intra-row finger weeders and a camera-guided intra-row hoeing (robot) were compared to standard mechanical weeding, a broadcast herbicide treatment and an untreated control. Weed densities prior to treatment averaged 58 plants m −2 in cabbage and 18 plants m −2 in lettuce. Chenopodium album, Amaranthus retroflexus, Thlaspi arvense, Solanum nigrum and Digitaria sanguinalis were the dominating species. Until harvest, 80% weed coverage was measured in the untreated plots of cabbage and 28% in lettuce, which caused 56% yield loss in cabbage and 28% yield loss in lettuce. The highest WCE was achieved with the robot (87% inter-row and 84% intra-row) The broadcast herbicide treatment achieved 84% WCE for both inter-row and intra-row areas. Conventional inter-row hoeing had the lowest WCE of 73% inter-row and 35% intra-row. Camera-guided inter-row hoeing increased inter-row WCE to 80% and intra-row WCE to 56%. Finger weeding increased intra-row WCE in lettuce and cabbage to 54% with conventional hoeing and 62% with camera-guided hoeing. Camera-guidance reduced crop plant losses by 50% (from 9.1 to 4.5%) and increased crop yield by 13% compared to conventional hoeing. This study highlights the benefits of camera-guidance, AI-based weed detection and robotic weeding in transplanted vegetable crops.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Universität Hohenheim (3153
Transforming agricultural waste from mediterranean fruits into renewable materials and products with a circular and digital approach
Full text linkThe Mediterranean area is one of the major global producers of agricultural food. However, along the entire supply chain—from farming to food distribution and consumption—food waste represents a significant fraction. Additionally, plant waste residues generated during the cultivation of specific fruits and vegetables must also be considered. This heterogeneous biomass is a valuable source of bioactive compounds and materials that can be transformed into high-performance functional products. By analyzing technical and scientific literature, this review identifies extraction, composite production, and bioconversion as the main strategies for valorizing agricultural by-products and waste. The advantages of these approaches as well as efficiency gains through digitalization are discussed, along with their potential applications in the Mediterranean region to support new research activities and bioeconomic initiatives. Moreover, the review highlights the challenges and disadvantages associated with waste valorization, providing a critical comparison of different studies to offer a comprehensive perspective on the topic. The objective of this review is to evaluate the potential of agricultural waste valorization, identifying effective strategies while also considering their limitations, to contribute to the development of sustainable and innovative solutions in Mediterranean bioeconomy
Effect of relative humidity on the thin-layer chromatographic separation of E 472 emulsifiers
No full textE 472 emulsifiers are organic acid esters of mono- and diacylglycerides. These emulsifiers are categorized into six subgroups (E 472a-f) based on the specific acid component, e.g., acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, or mixtures of tartaric and acetic acid. The present study investigated the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the thin-layer chromatographic separation of four E 472 emulsifier subgroups, addressing practical concerns due to RH variations between seasons and within laboratories. Three RH-setting techniques affecting plate activity and chamber climate were assessed using saturated salt and aqueous sulfuric acid solutions. Aqueous sulfuric acid solutions for RH adjustment resulted in decreased hRF values, while no trends in hRF value changes were observed for saturated salt solutions. Unlike RH itself, the RH setting technique led to substantial changes in the chromatographic fingerprint. Thus, the choice of the RH setting method should be tailored to the specific analyte and analysis goal. Despite variations in chromatographic fingerprints between the three RH setting techniques, the fingerprint remained consistent within the same technique across the tested RH range.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Universität Hohenheim (3153
Towards more nuanced narratives in bioeconomy strategies and policy documents to support knowledge-driven sustainability transitions
Full text linkThe bioeconomy has been discussed as a key strategy for addressing sustainability challenges, particularly regarding the transition from fossil-based to bio-based systems, in numerous national and supranational strategies and policy documents related to the bioeconomy. However, public understanding of and engagement with the bioeconomy remains limited. This is partly due to the bias of many bioeconomy strategies and policy documents towards technological solutions that tend to overlook the social, normative, and transformative dimensions of systemic change as well as the necessary knowledge. This opinion paper explores the potential of narratives as a means of communicating bioeconomy research in public policy, with the aim of addressing the communication gap between science, policy, and society. When applied in responsible and nuanced ways that acknowledge their embeddedness and context, bioeconomy (policy) narratives can support sensemaking for science communication, improve public understanding, facilitate stakeholder engagement and behavioural change. We argue that such narrative approaches can help to create narrative ‘boundary objects’ that can support more inclusive and participatory processes, enabling the co-creation of transformative knowledge for bioeconomy transitions with stakeholders as active participants. In summary, we highlight several opportunities, as well as limitations and implications, that could inform future work on bioeconomy narratives.This work was supported by the Innovative Education for the Bioeconomy (BioBeo) EU Horizon project [grant agreement ID: 101059900], funded under Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment. Moreover, Michael P. Schlaile acknowledges partial funding from the following sources that enabled his contribution: junior research group “BioKum”, BMBF (031B0751), and the “CULEST” project, DFG (554256072).Innovative Education for the Bioeconomy (BioBeo) EU Horizon projectjunior research group “BioKum”, BMBFthe “CULEST” project, DF
Cultural change in servitization
Full text linkManufacturers are increasingly transforming into industrial service providers. Driven by product commoditization and rapid technology cycles, they increasingly compete on value delivered to customers by shifting their business model to integrated solutions with advanced services. The phenomenon coined servitization can be a powerful engine for manufacturers to grow beyond their traditional product business. Since product and service businesses operate on a fundamentally different logic, servitization requires changes in manufacturers’ deep-rooted organizational beliefs, values and behaviors. Accordingly, creating a culture that supports servitization is critical. Cultural change is widely recognized in servitization research but remains poorly understood. While literature increasingly contributes to understanding “what” values and behaviors that support servitization, insights into “how” change processes shape servitization cultures remain limited. Aiming to support academics and practitioners addressing cultural change in servitization, this dissertation examines how manufacturers change their organizational culture as they transform into industrial service providers and the practices that facilitate the change process.
Section 1 presents an overview of industrial and academic perspective on the challenges of cultural change in servitization. Content challenges involve conceptualizing the multiple layers of servitization culture, synthesizing existing concepts and constructs, and expanding digital and learning culture frameworks. Process challenges focus on integrating organizational and sociocognitive theories while identifying holistic change practices. Context challenges center on understanding the role of service-driven mergers and acquisitions, digital technologies and ecosystems, and the transformative shift toward resilience and sustainability. Building on these academic challenges, the section concludes by outlining the dissertation’s aims and structure to address them.
Section 2, “Cultural change in servitization – a conceptual review and framework,” concerns the content and process of social construction as servitizing manufacturers change their culture. The article integrates organizational and sociopsychological theories to develop an organizational learning framework for cultural change, explaining the emergence and interaction of organizational and member-level concepts. Second, the framework guides a systematic literature review to integrate fragmented knowledge on cultural change in servitization and establish conceptual order. The article presents 12 propositions, revealing three major cultural orientations (service, digital and learning) and offering guidance for managing organizational and member-level change.
Section 3, “The role of strategic and learning orientation in creating competitive advantage through digital service innovation,” concerns fostering organizational learning to drive digital service innovation. The conceptual article integrates recent advances in digital servitization and organizational learning within the resource-based and dynamic capabilities view. It challenges prior assumptions in the field by conceptualizing learning orientation as a moderator of strategic digital, service and innovation orientation to drive servitization performance. The article presents four propositions on the cultural antecedents and conditions, offering guidance for change management to achieve competitive advantage and resilience through digital service innovation.
Section 4, “Path towards servitization culture: Unveiling the organizational learning practices to support the cultural change from product manufacturing to independent service
provision,” concerns a manufacturer’s cultural change to become a leading independent service provider through service-driven M&A, internationalization and corporate restructuring. The article gathers data from interviews and company documents to obtain a dynamic view of cultural change in servitization. The in-depth, long-term single case study identifies three cultural streams permeating culture during the transformation: independent service orientation, customer orientation and entrepreneurial learning orientation. The organizational learning practices to freeze the emerging ISP culture, rebalance the global ISP culture and unfreeze the ISP learning culture offer guidance for managing continuous change processes.
Section 5 provides a concluding analysis of the articles, deriving theoretical contributions, practical implications and a future research agenda. From a theoretical perspective, this dissertation introduces organizational learning as a framework to explore the emergent and human aspects of change in servitization and conceptualizes the servitization culture. Moreover, it extends the notion of continuous change, interorganizational change and servitization culture as a transformative response to technological and societal disruption. For practitioners, this research integrates its findings with prescriptive models of learning organizations to formulate principles for strategies and practices that support the creation of a servitization culture. The research agenda focuses on advancing research on servitization culture in Industry 5.0, extending multilevel research and introducing configuration and intervention as a research strategy for cultural change in servitization.Produzierende Unternehmen wandeln sich zunehmend zu industriellen Serviceanbietern. Angetrieben durch die Kommoditisierung von Produkten und schnellen Technologiezyklen konkurrieren sie zunehmend über den Mehrwert, den sie ihren Kunden bieten, indem sie ihre Geschäftsmodelle auf integrierte Lösungen mit Advanced Services umstellen. Die Servicetransformation bietet produzierenden Unternehmen die Chance, über ihr traditionelles Produktgeschäft hinaus zu wachsen. Da das Produkt- und das Servicegeschäft unterschiedlichen Logiken folgen, erfordert die Servicetransformation Veränderungen in den tief verwurzelten Überzeugungen, Werten und Verhaltensweisen der Unternehmen. Daher ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung, eine Kultur zu schaffen, die den Wandel unterstützt. Kultureller Wandel ist in der Forschung zur Servicetransformation weithin anerkannt, aber noch nicht ausreichend verstanden. Während die Literatur zunehmend dazu beiträgt, zu verstehen, welche Werte und Verhaltensweisen die Transformation unterstützen, bleibt der Einblick in die Veränderungsprozesse begrenzt. Um Wissenschaftler und Praktiker zu unterstützen, die sich mit dem Kulturwandel in der Servicetransformation beschäftigen, untersucht diese Dissertation, wie Hersteller ihre Organisationskultur verändern, wenn sie sich zu industriellen Serviceanbietern wandeln, und welche Praktiken den Veränderungsprozess unterstützen.
Kapitel 1 gibt einen Überblick über die industrielle und akademische Perspektive auf die Herausforderungen des kulturellen Wandels in der Servicetransformation. Zu den inhaltlichen Herausforderungen gehören die Konzeptualisierung der verschiedenen Ebenen der industriellen Servicekultur, die Synthese bestehender Konzepte und Konstrukte und die Erweiterung um Dimensionen der digitalen Kultur und die Lernkultur. Die prozessualen Herausforderungen konzentrieren sich auf die Integration von Organisationstheorien und soziokognitiver Theorien sowie die Identifizierung von Veränderungspraktiken. Die kontextuellen Herausforderungen konzentrieren sich auf das Verständnis der Rolle von Fusionen und Übernahmen, digitalen Technologien und Ökosystemen sowie des Wandels hin zu Resilienz und Nachhaltigkeit. Ausgehend von diesen akademischen Herausforderungen beschreibt dieser Abschnitt abschließend die Ziele und die Struktur der Dissertation, um diesen Herausforderungen zu begegnen.
Kapitel 2, „Cultural change in servitization – a conceptual review and framework“, befasst sich mit den Inhalten und dem Prozess der sozialen Konstruktion beim Wandel der Unternehmenskultur in der Servicetransformation. Der Artikel integriert organisationale und sozialpsychologische Theorien, um einen Rahmen des organisationalen Lernens für kulturellen Wandel zu entwickeln, der die Entstehung und Interaktion kultureller Konstrukte auf Organisations- und Mitgliederebene erklärt. Zweitens dient der Rahmen als Leitfaden für ein systematisches Literature Review, um das fragmentierte Wissen über kulturellen Wandel in der Servicetransformation zu integrieren und konzeptionell zu ordnen. Der Artikel stellt 12 Thesen vor, die die drei wichtigsten kulturellen Orientierungen (Service, Digital und Learning) aufzeigen und Leitlinien für die Gestaltung des Wandels auf Organisations- und Mitgliederebene bieten.
Kapitel 3, „The role of strategic and learning orientation in creating competitive advantage through digital service innovation“, befasst sich mit der Förderung des organisationalen Lernens, um digitale Dienstleistungsinnovation voranzutreiben. Der konzeptionelle Artikel integriert die jüngsten Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der digitalen Serviceinnovation und des organisationalen Lernens im Rahmen des Resource-based View und der Dynamic Capabilities. Er stellt die bisherigen Annahmen in diesem Bereich in Frage, indem er die Lernorientierung als Moderator der strategischen Ausrichtung auf Digitalität, Service und Innovation zur Förderung der Performance konzeptualisiert. Der Artikel stellt vier Thesen zu den kulturellen Voraussetzungen und Bedingungen auf und bietet Leitlinien für das Veränderungsmanagement, um Wettbewerbsvorteile und Resilienz durch digitale Dienstleistungsinnovation zu erreichen.
Kapitel 4, „Path towards servitization culture: Unveiling the organizational learning practices to support the cultural change from product manufacturing to independent service provision“, befasst sich mit dem kulturellen Wandel eines Herstellers zu einem führenden Serviceanbieter durch Fusionen und Übernahmen, Internationalisierung und Unternehmensrestrukturierung. Der Artikel analysiert Daten aus Interviews und Unternehmensdokumenten, um einen dynamischen Blick auf den Kulturwandel in der Servicetransformation zu gewinnen. Die Fallstudie identifiziert drei kulturelle Orientierungen, die die Kultur während der Transformation durchdringen: Independent Service Orientation, Customer Orientation und Entrepreneurial Learning Orientation. Die organisationalen Lernpraktiken zum Einfrieren der emergenten Kultur, zum Ausbalancieren der globalen Konzernkultur und zum Auftauen einer Lernkultur bieten Leitlinien für das Management kontinuierlicher Veränderungsprozesse.
Kapitel 5 umfasst eine abschließende Analyse der Artikel, aus der theoretische und prak-
tische Implikationen und eine Forschungsagenda hervorgehen
The commitment of farmers to traditional and hybrid cooperatives: empirical evidence over a six‐year period
Full text linkThis study investigates the commitment of farmer members to traditional and hybrid cooperatives, and examines how and why their commitment has changed over time. The empirical basis consists of three surveys of representative samples of Finnish farmers conducted in 2010, 2013 and 2016. Dairy cooperatives in Finland have a traditional organizational form. Animal breeders deliver to hybrid cooperatives that have some external investors, but farmers have the majority of the votes. In both industries, the farmers are committed to their cooperatives and increasingly so over the years. This is particularly true of dairy farmers. However, the members’ commitment is based more on their satisfaction with the cooperatives’ business activities rather than on any cohesion within the cooperative societies. One explanation for this is that primary agriculture is becoming more consolidated, with fewer but larger farms whose owners are business oriented and professional
Spatiotemporal climatic signals in cereal yield variability and trends in Ethiopia
Full text linkClimatic variability and recurrent drought can strongly affect the variability of crop yield and are therefore frequently considered a risk to food security in Ethiopia. A better understanding of how crop yields vary in space and time, and their relationship to climatic and other driving factors, can assist in enhancing agricultural production and adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change. We applied a multiple linear regression model to examine the spatiotemporal climatic signal (air temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation) in the yields of the most important crops (maize, sorghum, tef, and wheat) over the period 1995–2018. An analysis of the climatic data indicated that growing season temperature increased significantly in most regions, but the trends in precipitation were not significant. The yields of maize, sorghum, tef, and wheat tended to increase across most crop-growing areas, particularly in the west, but was highly variable. The results highlight large spatial differences in the contribution of climatic trends to crop-yield variability across Ethiopian regions. The trends in climatic variability did not significantly affect crop yields in some areas, whereas in the main crop-growing areas, up to − 39.2% of yield variability could be attributed to the climatic trends. Specifically, the climatic trends negatively affected maize yields but positively affected sorghum, tef, and wheat yields. Nationally, the average impacts of climatic trends on crop yields was relatively small, ranging from a 3.2% decrease for maize to a 0.7% increase for wheat. In contrast, technological advancements contributed substantially more to yield gains, with annual increases ranging from 4.3% for wheat to 5.1% for sorghum. These findings highlight the dominant role of non-climatic drivers, particularly improved agricultural technology, in shaping crop yield trends. Our findings underscore the spatial heterogeneity of climate impacts on agriculture and highlight the critical importance of technological progress in enhancing crop productivity. They also provide actionable insights for designing crop- and location-specific adaptation strategies, and stress the need for integrated, climate-resilient development pathways in the region.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Universität Hohenheim (3153
High physical activity is associated with decreased fungiform papillae area and number, elevated sucrose recognition thresholds, and increased IL-6 levels: an observational human study
Full text linkBackground: Disease-related inflammation affects chemosensory signaling, but knowledge on the impact of exercise-induced low-grade inflammation on taste function remains scarce. Here we hypothesized that intense habitual physical activity modifies sweet taste perception via increased cytokine release.
Methods: In an observational human study we compared participants (m/f) engaging in high (n = 34) and low (n = 31) levels of habitual physical activity. Salivary IL-6 and urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α levels, body composition, sucrose recognition threshold, preference and consumption of sweet foods, size and area of fungiform papillae as well as selected hormones regulating food intake were recorded. Statistical analysis was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) followed by Student’s t-tests and multiple regression models.
Results: The PCA summarized the main outcome variables to two principal components (PC). PC1 was primarily influenced by body composition and fungiform papillae markers, while sucrose recognition thresholds, sweet food consumption, and IL-6 levels strongly contributed to PC2. Compared to the low activity group, the high activity group showed on average an increased sucrose recognition threshold (+ 35.8 ± 12.8%), increased IL-6 concentrations (+ 25.6 ± 10.9%), higher consumptions of sweet foods (+ 18.8 ± 4.9%) and decreased number (24.8 ± 4.9%) and area (-29.8 ± 6.4%) of fungiform papillae.
Conclusions: The association between modified sweet taste function markers and increased IL-6 levels suggests that inflammatory processes may contribute to exercise-related changes in chemosensory perception.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Universität Hohenheim (3153