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Nowadays, companies are facing an increasingly competitive landscape forrecruiting and retaining talented employees. Workforce demographics paired withage- and value-diverse workplaces make effective talent management a competitive necessity. Consequently, the establishment of an employer brand positioning has become a critical success factor for the continued existence of a company and to increase the attractiveness as an employer to achieve the ultimate aim of becoming an employer of choice.The present master thesis deals with the development of an employer branding positioning concept to attract blue-collar workers and apprentices in the packaging industry. The outcomes of the thesis are supposed to provide Mondi’s two production plants, located in Zeltweg, Styria, with a positioning concept as well as corresponding measures to increase the number of applicants and to properly fill vacancies. Furthermore, the objective to increase the brand awareness among the targeted groups is followed and it is aimed at achieving a clearly defined positioning of the company within the regional employment market.The thesis is divided into three major sections, namely introduction, theoretical part and practical part. Within the introduction section the initial situation is investigated,followed by an examination of the company objectives and the definition of the master thesis objective. Thereafter, a framework defining relevant theories and the structure of the work is provided. The theoretical part provides an introduction to the topic employer choice followed by exploring the challenges of addressing the two targeted groups before examining the principles of employer branding. The final partof the theory covers the process of developing an employer branding positioning concept, which is used as a base for Mondi’ positioning strategy. The practical part of the present thesis is devoted to a detailed internal and external analyses. The former investigates the strengths and weaknesses of the firm as an employer andexamines current employer branding measures, whereas the later not only investigates the company’s environment but also ascertains the needs and demands of the target groups towards an employer as well as their behavior during the employer choice process. The research results are then consolidated in the developed positioning concept and the corresponding measures which serve as an orientation guide for Mondi in order to become an employer choice in the long run.
Nowadays, companies find themselves in a rapidly changing environment. Especially the emergence of e-commerce has changed businesses significantly. While retailers have started to take advantage of those developments, also consumers have adapted their shopping behaviour. They want to benefit from the advantages of e-commerce. However, they still do not want to miss the social aspects and entertainment of shopping. Customer experience therefore became an im-portant topic in e-business. With online customer journey management, companies try to find the right set of communication touchpoints including an appropriate content strategy for each of them. This set is then put into customer communication journey maps, which build the base for a holistic communication strategy. The elaboration of such communication journey maps is also highly relevant for the online retailer TOPPERZ. For this reason, the main objective of this master thesis is to elaborate customer communication journey maps for the e-commerce company. The theoretical part of the thesis is based on literature research and focuses on e-commerce in the B2C fashion industry including relevant trends for communication purposes. Furthermore, online customer ex-perience management and online consumer behaviour are discussed. The focus of the theoretical section is put on customer journey management. This includes the definition of customer journeys and the presentation of three relevant customer journey models. Furthermore, criteria for the selection of the most appropriate model are given, followed by the introduction of possible touchpoints within the digital communication journey. Also, supporting tools for customer journey management as well as its limitations are outlined. Finally, a process for the elaboration of customer communication journey maps is presented. The practical part of the thesis consists of a company presentation and the analysis of its external and internal environment based on secondary research. The primary research mainly aims at the identification of TOPPERZ’ potential customers’ shopping behaviour, channel preferences and related content preferences. Based on the results of the research, customer communication journey maps were elaborated for the company’s two most relevant user personas.
International Employer Branding Concept with Focus on Generation Z to attract Production Workers
(2019)
This master thesis deals with the development of an international employerbranding concept for Generation Z as well as external communication measures inorder to increase the attractiveness of ARIAN among Austrians and Slovenes andto fulfil their personnel requirement regarding apprentices in the printing area.Furthermore, this thesis aims to make sure that ARIAN is known by relevant educational institutions in order to already reach Generation Z during their compulsory education.The first chapter concentrates on the topic international employer branding and starts with common definitions of employer branding, the interrelation of the corporate brand and employer brand as well as objectives of employer branding. Topics such as the different levels of attractiveness, challenges in international employer branding and generational differences provide a framework for the subsequent employer brand positioning concept. The basis for the employer branding positioning concept forms the analysis of the internal and external influencing factors, the employer brand identity, the objectives of the employer brand positioning and the requirement profile for the EVP. After the definition and selection of an EVP alternative, a suitable slogan can be defined, and the EVP can be implemented with external communication measures. The communication measures depend on the communication objectives and the respective targetgroup. Within the communication channels, different ways to reach Generation Zare presented. Furthermore, a distinction between the recurring measures of abasic programme and campaigns with a special focus is made. Moreover, the most important aspects of a communication plan as well as different methods for choosing a communication budget are described. Finally, the importance of EB controlling as well as suitable strategic and operative KPIs are shown.At the beginning of the practical part, an analysis of the initial situation as well as aquantitative market research with pupils in Austria and Slovenia was conducted in order to get representative knowledge about the expectations of Generation Z regarding their first employer. In consideration of the consequential implications,an employer brand positioning concept for ARIAN was developed and recommendations for the external communication as well as the EB controlling are given.
RETTER Sports is a Graz-based travel agency specialized in selling active andadventure vacations. The travel agency on Conrad-von-Hötzendorf-Straße hasbeen existing since 2002 and was not only renamed during a complete restructuringin 2021, but also expanded to include additional types of sports and thus, new targetgroups. This undertaking is a challenge, because it is necessary to reposition thecompany and establish the new brand RETTER Sports in the niche of active andadventure travel. In order to achieve this goal, a strategic and target group-orientedcommunication is required, that reaches the target group exactly then, when theyare looking for vacation inspiration. One communication tool that has become as animportant platform for travel content in recent years is social media. Hence, this thesis focuses on the development of a social media communication concept to increase the brand awareness of RETTER Sports in the active and adventure travel niche.The first part of this thesis provides a theoretical basis. After giving insight into the niche and the target group, theoretical definitions of social media platforms, their interaction with tourism, social media marketing, as well as opportunities and risks for companies are presented. Subsequently, the concept of brand awareness is discussed in more detail. The theoretical part of this thesis concludes with a chapter on the development of communication concepts, which includes the strategic and operational content of the concept as well as areas of application.The second, practical part opens with an analysis of the RETTER Sports company, which not only evaluates its current social media presence, but also takes a closer look at its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and current challenges. The primary study shows that the target group has a strong preference towards active and adventure vacations, but also harbors prejudices against travel agencies, which the company must counteract through the right communication in order to achieve sustainable brand awareness. After developing the strategy for the concept, further measures, content and budget planning as well as key figures for controlling are proposed. The concluding chapter provides recommendations for the company.
Saturated markets, especially in the food industry with a large number of competitorsand big players make it a highly competitive environment, particularly for start-ups. In order to be able to settle within the market and gain strength, it is necessary to have a unique selling proposition and competitive advantages to differentiate. Ingredient Branding offers this kind of advantage and is defined as the targeted marketing of aparticular component/ingredient of an end product. The aim of this thesis is to provide a guideline for the food start-up Spirulix to use ingredient branding to their advantage together with the already existing branding strategy. It should therefore identify success factors, possible risks, and general effects of the concept on the brand image. To answer the research questions qualitative research was carried out, interviewing food start-ups already using ingredient branding as a strategy. In total eleven interviews have been conducted with persons in charge of ingredient branding resulting in the position of either head of marketing, CEO, or founder. The research results revealed the following success factors: choice of partners, quality, competitive advantages, communication, and brand orientation. Furthermore, the risks for the ingredient brand described in the literature have been confirmed throughout the interviews, namely loss of control and negative spillover effects. Anyways, theinterviews could not prove the effects on the brand, as nearly no start-up made a market research or panel survey due to low budgets and a lack in personnel resources. In summary the literature research and the interviews point out the potential of ingredient branding for food start-ups and highlighted the positive impact it offers for start-ups in a highly competitive market.
SMEs are the backbone of the Austrian economy, and most startups are SMEs. The European Commission strives to support SMEs to establish and do business cross-borders since it generates a direct impact on the GDP, value chain, and economic growth. Likewise, important Austrian players in the business ecosystem, such as the Science Park Graz, endeavor with the shared goal of supporting the national companies to grow and thrive. However, the SPG does not have a defined model for supporting the incubated startups to grow into foreign markets, which justifies this master’s thesis objective: to develop a model for a high-technology incubator company to adopt and provide consulting services to startups aiming to do business abroad. First, is executed intense theoretical research to obtain a literature basis and to de-velop a theoretical service design model based on the key factors raised. Second, the theoretical model proposed and the key factors found are utilized as guides to the practical research, in which 14 semi-structured individual interviews were real-ised. The information requirement was to analyse the needs of Austrian startups growing cross-borders that could be addressed by the SPG’s service model, and this outcome is reached through the qualitative research, in addition to understand-ing the services provided by each one of the four main institutions in Austrian eco-system, along the international market development process studied. In conclusion, the service design model proposed is appropriate and covers the main facts that emerged from literature research and the needs of startups inter-viewed. Moreover, it is emphasised the proposal that SPG should be positioning itself as the expert in startups development, supporting the incubated startups to find and validate product-market fit into foreign markets. Besides this, it is recom-mended to invest in the internal and external network, to be able to provide services related to Legal, Talent hiring, and lessons learned from Austrian startups doing business abroad.
Internationally integrated omnichannel communications concept for B&R Industrial Automation GmbH
(2020)
The Austrian company B&R Industrial Automation GmbH, which is internationally doing business in the industrial goods sector, faces the problem that lead generation and qualification do not follow a strategically predefined process. In order to solve this challenge, an internationally integrated mar-keting communications concept for improving qualified lead generation was created within the framework of this master thesis. Firstly, an extensive literature review was conducted, focussing on gathering state-of-the-art information about the theme areas connected to that overall topic. Complementing the findings and insights from the current literature status quo, the implementation by comparable companies in reality was reviewed by conducting expert interviews in terms of the field research. With experienced employees from the marketing department in international industrial goods companies being the target group, insights indicated that integrated omnichannel communications and optimized lead management are considered to very different degrees in the sector. Ranging from best case companies to late developer firms, the sector is still rather conservative, which underlines the relevance of this topic for generating competitive advantages on the market. Based on the findings, the concept was then developed. Starting off with a secondary analysis of the marketing communications channels of B&R and three main competitors, improving the qualification of generated leads was defined as the main goal. With the target groups being clustered by subsector and position in the buying centre, campaigning as the central strategy for the channel deployment was selected. As research indicated the importance of trade fairs, the approach is putting these events in the centre of the campaign arrangement. By intensifying the usage of already existing channels as well as introducing new instruments and measures, all being aligned and coordinated through the integrated omnichannel approach, existing potential may be exploited profoundly. Against this backdrop, marketing automation builds the connection between communications and lead management. Additionally, a mixture of lead grading and scoring was planned in order to track the position of the generated leads in the funnel and highlight the perfect handover point. With KPIs being defined for each channel and measure specifically, comprehensive success monitoring was established. In the first phase, the concept focusses on the main fairs for B&R throughout the year due to the time horizon for adop-tion and set up of alterations, but after an amortisation phase, the concept may be implemented full-scale and for each international fair.
Die Integration von KI-gestützten Programmiertools wie GitHub Copilot könnte die traditionelle Softwareentwicklungsausbildung revolutionieren. Diese innovativen Werkzeuge helfen nicht nur, den Fachkräftemangel in der IT-Branche zu bekämpfen, sondern haben auch das Potenzial, den Bildungsprozess erheblich zu verbessern. Sie erleichtern den Zugang zu Lernressourcen und steigern die Lerneffizienz durch personalisierte und interaktive Inhalte. Das führt zu einer besseren Wissensvermittlung und hilft, die Lücke zwischen der Nachfrage nach hoch qualifizierten IT-Fachkräften und dem aktuellen Bildungsangebot zu schließen. Durch kontinuierliches Echtzeit-Feedback, maßgeschneiderte Lerninhalte und praktische Übungen können Lernende mit KI-gestützten Tools schneller Fortschritte machen und ein tieferes Verständnis sowie eine breitere Wissensbasis aufbauen. Besonders Anfänger profitieren von Funktionen wie automatischer Fehlererkennung, kontextbezogenen Hinweisen und modellbasierten Codevorschlägen. Ein weiterer wichtiger Aspekt ist die Förderung von kollaborativem Lernen und Wissensaustausch. KI-Assistenten können als Partner fungieren und eine dynamische Lernumgebung schaffen, in der Entwickler gemeinsam an Projekten arbeiten, Ideen austauschen und voneinander lernen können. Durch eine sorgfältige Untersuchung und Optimierung der Schnittstellen zwischen menschlichen Entwicklern und KI-gestützten Tools kann deren Effektivität maximiert und sichergestellt werden, dass sie ethischen und pädagogischen Standards gerecht werden. Die erfolgreiche Integration von künstlicher Intelligenz in den Ausbildungsprozess von Softwareentwicklern könnte eine neue Generation von Entwicklern hervorbringen, die nicht nur technisches Fachwissen besitzen, sondern auch innovative Lösungen schaffen, die aktuellen und zukünftigen Anforderungen gerecht werden. Durch die Anwendung von KI-gestützten Lernmethoden würden sie kontinuierlich lernen und sich an neue Technologien und Herausforderungen anpassen. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Effektivität der Nutzung dieser Tools in der Lehre zu steigern, um den Lernprozess von Softwareentwicklern zu verbessern und den Einstieg in die Entwicklung zu erleichtern. Damit wollen wir dem Fachkräftemangel in der IT-Branche entgegenwirken. Angesichts der schnellen Digitalisierung und der stetig wachsenden Nachfrage nach qualifizierten Softwareentwicklern ist diese Entwicklung besonders wichtig.
Appropriately addressing qualified graduates and young professionals of Generation Z and retaining them is a vital competitive advantage of personnel intensive organizations. Due to demographic change and the declining attractiveness of the financial sector, it is becoming increasingly difficult for financial institutions to attract these urgently needed young professionals. This thesis therefore addresses the composition of an employer branding concept for Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG. The concept focuses in particular on social media communication for Generation Z. The theory part discusses the generations, with a special focus on external employer branding communication for Generation Z. This is followed by a presentation of social media employer branding communication for Generation Z, and a discussion of the general fundamentals of an employer branding concept. Various arguments for a digitally based social media employer branding concept for Generation Z are outlined. In addition, Generation Z is specifically addressed as workforce in the banking sector. In the practical part, social media communication measures of Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG are analyzed. Moreover, a primary scientific study delivered valuable insights into the employer preferences, the perception, as well as the communication behavior of Generation Z. The findings from literature and the individual analyses have formed the basis for a unified communication concept. Besides concrete measures, the concept also contains recommendations for implementation and monitoring. Ultimately, the concept is intended to support Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG in presenting itself as an attractive employer for Generation Z on social media.
This master’s thesis deals with the development of a social media marketing concept for Vossen in order to increase Vossen’s brand awareness and online-turnover in the United Kingdom. The first chapter describes the characteristics of the home-textile industry by giving insights into the market size and trends.Afterwards, the customer journey is at the centre of the focus. Within this chapter,the term is defined, several customer journey models are presented, and theprocess of customer journey mapping is described. Subsequently, social media marketing is explained in detail. The chapter starts with the definition of social media and social media marketing, provides an overview of the most important objectives that can be achieved with social media marketing and clarifies the importance of content marketing within social media. Afterwards, the different kinds of social media channels such as social networks, media sharing platforms and blogs are explained, and channel selection criteria are presented. The chapter also provides a few insights into social media marketing in the UK and highlights the role of social media within the customer journey. Finally, the challenges and limitations and the controlling of social media activities conclude this chapter.The final chapter within the theoretical part of this thesis is the basis for the socialmedia marketing concept. It explains the most important elements of the analysisof the initial situation, deepens the understanding of social media objectives andexplains the analysis of the target group. Based on this knowledge, strategicdecisions are made, and the action plan is created. The required budget iscalculated based on the measures defined in the action plan and finally, controllingmeasures are implemented to control the success of the company’s social mediaactivities. The practical part starts with the analysis of the initial situation and a qualitative research where the author conducted interviews with 15 experts. Based on these insights and the author’s theoretical knowledge, the social media marketingconcept for Vossen was created.