COOPETITION ON ENTERPRISE PLATFORMS
In the interview phase of our last research project, which was supposed to focus primarily on blockchains as a technology, we repeatedly encountered an exciting phenomenon: although our interviewees were ostensibly concerned with this new technology, in many cases the threat posed by the expansion of the so-called platform economy was in the foreground. The concern was not that miraculous properties of individual technologies would give them an unassailable lead, but that the large companies of the platform economy could create dependencies among existing companies through a combination of technology, technology narratives, and conventional means of power such as capital, reach, and political influence. The issue of blockchains and DLT turned out to be an important door opener to initiate debates on how to counterbalance the perceived threat. The result, are increasing attempts to coordinate through their own corporate platforms, which on the one hand should enable synergies and efficiency gains, but on the other hand must balance difficult issues of ownership and control. As well as pointing to new spaces of action for co-determination that may require additional competencies. More
PROPERTY TAXES IN THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION
The countries of the global North and South are facing one of the greatest challenges in their history: building an economic structure that is in harmony with planetary boundaries. Distributional issues are often seen only as a side condition of a successful “techno-ecological” transformation, for example in the context of the European Green Deal. In contrast, there are proposals for a “socio-ecological” Green New Deal, which believe that the ecological crisis can only be overcome if distributional aspects are placed at the center of economic policy. The debate on tax policy reflects these different approaches. Consumption and classic emissions taxes are at the center of most proposals; wealth taxes are an important element of proposals for a more fundamental restructuring of the economy. In both cases, however, there is a need for clarification with regard to the actual effects of wealth taxes. More
Leading in the crisis
Crisis management in companies is one of the most important areas of corporate management – often neglected in good times, in bad times it is decisive for the future of the employees and managers concerned and sometimes even for the existence of the company. Therefore, it is of high entrepreneurial and economic, but also social and human importance to identify critical success factors and to develop or further develop recommendations for action for crisis management in companies. The Corona crisis offers a great opportunity for new insights.
“Soft aspects” such as leadership, communication and culture are important success factors in corporate crisis management. Compared to “hard” operational restructuring measures, however, they have received far too little attention in the context of crisis management, which is why they are the subject of this research project. More
Bicycle derlivery service for Darmstadt
Freight transport has increased significantly in recent years. This is accompanied by increasing environmental pollution through emissions and a growing use of traffic areas. The quality of life in cities is declining and conflicts with other road users are on the increase. One of the reasons for this development is the growing desire to deliver goods to the door. Innovative concepts are therefore needed to satisfy this demand in a way that is as compatible as possible for everyone.
A research project of the University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt together with the Research Lab for Urban Transport of the FRA-UAS is pursuing exactly such a concept. More
THE IMPACT OF BLOCKCHAIN ON WORK AND ORGANIZATION
How is a technology affected by its claim to make established mechanisms of confidence-building obsolete? The project investigates the impact and changes the new Blockchain technology has triggered, in particular on the institutional structure of organizations. The blockchain technology can contribute to more democratic participation in everyday working life, but downside risks involve a deterioration in working conditions. More
ALL IN DIGITAL CHANGE
The project “ALL in digital change” deals with the question of how companies and administrations can remain sustainable with the help of new forms of work. The focus is on supporting and accompanying employees in the areas of lifelong learning, independent competence development, agile mindsets and new forms of work organisation. More
MAKROREGIMES
How are political-economic regimes formed? How do they remain stable over a longer period of time and what initiates their decay? There have been many attempts to explain such questions, but often they do remain within the limits of their respective scientific discipline. This project aims to combine insights from political science, sociology and macroeconomics to compensate for blind spots in individual disciplines and to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the processes mentioned above. Historical regime changes are investigated and applied for insights on contemporary developments. More