TY - THES A1 - Rieger, Vanessa T1 - The Challenge of Managerial Staff Shortage on the Chinese Labor Market - The Development of HRM in China N2 - One of the major challenges today is the global shortage of managerial staff. Globalization and opening up of new markets lead to a steadily rising demand, but the supply of Western talent is decreasing. Now enterprises tend to seek skilled personnel in rapidly developing economies such as China. China as a fast growing economy is usually assumed to have a vast number of low-cost workers and a bountiful supply of talent. This perception is likely to turn out to be a miscalculation endangering efficiency, growth or even the existence of enterprises that are willing to enter the Chinese market. However, not only foreign enterprises located in China suffer from talent shortage. State enterprises are also affected by competition for managerial staff. The remains of the socialist era are not yet completely overcome, especially with respect to human resource management (HRM renli ziyuan guanli). Combined with the demographic shift towards an ageing society caused by the Cultural Revolution, the One-Child Policy and a higher life expectancy, the upcoming shortage could impede economic growth. It is the cause of an increase in wages and competition, as well as rapidly changing enterprise and HRM strategies. This thesis basically concentrates on the development of the HRM sector with regard to recruitment, retention, motivation and performance appraisal of managerial staff. The current situation of staff shortage also requires a closer look on the recruitment strategies for the future generation of leaders, which are today’s young graduates. The thesis will not deal with the shortage of chief executive officers (CEO) as their turnover is closely related to shareholders and enterprise performance. Explaining this aspect would go beyond the scope of this thesis. Consequently, this thesis focuses on the central aspects of HRM under three main angles. First, HRM practice in China originated in the Mao era and in the shift from state control to reform and market liberalization. The Party planned every aspect of HRM and created a soft budget constraint. These factors prevented the development of efficient and profitable HRM strategies. Market liberalization and the state’s retreat from labor market control led to the initiation of competition. In order to adapt to these changing conditions, enterprises had to rationalize production, financing and human resources. The responsibility was gradually handed over to the enterprises, which now have to cope with market mechanisms and emerging challenges. Then, the current challenge to HRM is subject to the second part of this thesis. Managerial staff shortage is influenced by policies adopted a long time ago, but also by long distances immobility of staff. This narrows down the number of suitable personnel despite the national supply and leads to a high competition between enterprises. Competition related problems are increasing wages, which trigger a high turnover rate. Companies in China need to find a solution to all these problems as to not endanger their economic achievements. Finally, the third part analyzes the development and new approaches of the HRM sector towards recruitment, retention, motivation and assessment. The future developments are uncertain and depend on the pace of adaptation to new challenges. In spite of that, the fourth part not only summarizes the main aspects of this thesis, but also tries to give an outlook. Concerning actuality and reliability of sources it has to be stressed, that the Chinese labor market has not been subject to studies on HRM for many years. Therefore, most of the references used in this thesis are newspaper articles and internet sources. They are most suitable to represent the current conditions on the labor market. In this respect the Hudson Reports and the study by Diana Farrell were important, as they are reliable sources for numerical data. The interview with Madelaine Pfau was essential for this thesis, since her experiences with the Chinese market offered insight into the subject. Several of her ideas and opinions were the basis for further research, such as the suggestion to take a look at the HRM of Haier. The minutes of this interview are attached to my thesis. The Chinese sources consist of two research studies, an internet newspaper article and a publication from BriTay. One of the research studies deals with the adaptation of the Behavioral Event Interview to the Chinese HRM. The other gives an introduction to the HRM strategies of Haier. The newspaper article covers the use of competency models in China and tries to give further suggestions to the topic in form of an interview. The last suitable Chinese source is also an internet source from BriTay. BriTay is a consulting and management service company that was acquired by the international consultancy MRI worldwide in 2002. Therefore, BriTay was considered to be another reliable source for this thesis. KW - China KW - Personalbeschaffung KW - Personalpolitik KW - China KW - human resource management KW - personnel recruitment Y1 - 2008 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-34437 ER - TY - THES A1 - Schmittinger, Sarah T1 - Observing the Digital Self T1 - Auf den Spuren des digitalen Selbst BT - Ethnographic explorations on dimensions and intentions of digital self-constructions on Instagram N2 - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Co. Social media have become an essential part of everyday life for many people in recent years, and as such, it is impossible to imagine a life without them. It seems self-evident to operate as an active prosumer in the net via various end devices. We create personal profiles in various social networks, exchange ideas, and connect with others. We take part in virtual events, and above all: we actively shape the web. The photo and video platform Instagram is one of the most popular social networking sites. Since 2010, the online service has offered its users the opportunity for personal development and space for creativity. Therefore, the personal profiles serve not only participatory reasons but also facilitate acts of self-representation. In addition to apparently visible aspects, questions about self-perception arise: How do users experience and evaluate their activities in virtual space? How do they perceive their actions between the offline and online world, and how intertwined are these spheres? Through an ethnographical approach, this work represents the attempt to look beyond the self-evident aspects of the digital self. For this purpose, two Instagram users were accompanied for more than a year. N2 - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Co. Soziale Medien sind in den letzten Jahren ein wesentlicher Bestandteil des Alltags vieler Menschen geworden und als solcher nicht mehr wegzudenken. Es erscheint selbstverständlich über verschiedene Endgeräte als aktive Prosument*innen im Netz zu agieren. Wir erstellen persönliche Profile in unterschiedlichen sozialen Netzwerken, tauschen uns mit anderen aus, vernetzten uns, nehmen Teil am virtuellen Geschehen und vor allem: gestalten wir dieses aktiv mit. Als eines der beliebtesten sozialen Netzwerke gilt die Foto- und Video-Plattform Instagram. Seit 2010 bietet der Onlinedienst seinen Nutzer*innen die Möglichkeit der persönlichen Selbstentfaltung und Raum für Kreativität. Die eigenen Profile dienen daher nicht nur der Teilhabe, sondern auch der Selbstrepräsentation. Abseits des scheinbar Sichtbaren, stellen sich Fragen nach der Selbstwahrnehmung: Wie erleben und bewerten User*innen ihre Aktivitäten im virtuellen Raum selbst? Wie nehmen sie ihr Handeln zwischen Offline- und Onlinewelt wahr, und wie verflochten sind diese Sphären tatsächlich? Über einen ethnographischen Zugang stellt diese Arbeit den Versuch dar, hinter die Selbstverständlichkeiten des digitalen Selbst zu blicken. Dafür wurden zwei Instagram-Nutzerinnen über mehr als ein Jahr begleitet. T3 - Würzburger Studien zur Europäischen Ethnologie - 8 KW - Kulturanthropologie KW - World Wide Web 2.0 KW - Social Media KW - Ethnografie KW - Medienkultur KW - Instagram KW - Virtuelle Realität KW - Alltagskultur KW - craftmanship KW - digital ethnography KW - digital anthropology Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-225058 SN - 2511-9486 ER - TY - THES A1 - Thünken, Florian T1 - Internet Censorship in China - Recent Developments and Perception of Internet Censorship by Chinese Internet Users N2 - With the launch of economic reforms and the opening up in 1978, China started to catch up with the industrial nations. During the 1980s and 90s great importance was attached to the development of the science and educational sector. Development of the first Chinese intranet and connection to the internet became a key to developing science and economy. In 1987 the China Academic Network (CAnet, Zhongguo xueshu wangluo) was established. In the same year the first e-mail was sent from China to the University of Karlsruhe. Full access to the internet was gained in 1994, and it took four more years until the internet business was booming. The growth rate of internet users is tremendous, and China soon will have the largest online community in the world. In January 2008 China had about 210 million internet users, being only second to the United States with 215 million users. Analysts often forget that Chinese internet users only constitute a small percentage of the population (about 16% in December 2007). The internet penetration rate compared to countries like the USA or Japan (both above 65% in July 2007) is still very low. The internet market will grow as a large part of the population still is not connected to the worldwide web, especially in the rural areas. But it should be kept in mind that today’s surfers still represent an elite. A large proportion of internet users (about 36.2% in 2007) hold academic degrees, while persons who enjoyed tertiary education only make up for 6,22% of the populace. Besides economic aspects, western analyses often stress the aspect of censorship. Involvement of Western companies in content control and imprisonment of ‘cyber dissidents’, like Shi Tao, have been topics of discussion for a long time. Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International have recommended China to respect its citizens’ freedom of speech. The USA, Germany and France have criticised China for its censorship policies. According to a proposal passed in February 2007 the European Union might consider internet censorship a trade barrier. This could affect future negotiations with the PRC. Literature on internet censorship in the PRC still holds the view that the Chinese government has successfully build a solid firewall, which can only be circumvented by using special software. Others hold the opinion that a system as complex as the internet cannot be censored in an effective way. As Bill Clinton put it once, trying to control the internet would be like ‘trying to nail Jello to the wall’. Some are overly enthusiastic in regard to the possible impact which the internet might have on the process of democratisation, by stressing the importance of its ‘feedback functionality’ and the influx of foreign body of thought. Imperfect control would lead to a more open public discourse, which would eventually lead to the fall of China’s authoritarian regime.The first part of the thesis will examine the status quo of internet censorship in the PRC. Mechanisms which the Chinese authorities employ to censor the web will be examined, but the focus will rest on the non-technical aspects internet censorship. It will be explored how mechanisms of censorship are becoming increasingly indirect, alongside taking a look at regulations and codes and the news monopoly of the Chinese state and its agencies, like Xinhua. The second part of the thesis will examine user’s reactions to internet censorship, how they adapt to it, and if they circumvent technical barriers, or if they are aware of the existence of internet censorship. Special attention will be paid to self-censorship and self-seduction, by taking a look at online behaviour. To better put into perspective the topic of internet censorship I will use the concept of Panopticism, mediated by Michel Foucault, as well as media theories by Chomsky and Herman. The paper is based on articles and research papers, surveys, as well as online articles and papers. Online articles are used throughout the paper because of their timeliness and availability, as the latest changes in China’s internet censorship cannot be found in traditional papers and articles. KW - Zensur KW - China KW - Internet KW - Benutzerverhalten KW - China KW - Internet KW - Censorship Y1 - 2008 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-34445 ER - TY - THES A1 - Busch, Marlene Corinna T1 - Developing a virtual Control Room for future satellite missions T1 - Entwicklung eines virtuellen Kontrollraums für künftige Satellitenmissionen N2 - This thesis deals with the first part of a larger project that follows the ultimate goal of implementing a software tool that creates a Mission Control Room in Virtual Reality. The software is to be used for the operation of spacecrafts and is specially developed for the unique real-time requirements of unmanned satellite missions. Beginning from launch, throughout the whole mission up to the recovery or disposal of the satellite, all systems need to be monitored and controlled in continuous intervals, to ensure the mission’s success. Mission Operation is an essential part of every space mission and has been undertaken for decades. Recent technological advancements in the realm of immersive technologies pave the way for innovative methods to operate spacecrafts. Virtual Reality has the capability to resolve the physical constraints set by traditional Mission Control Rooms and thereby delivers novel opportunities. The paper highlights underlying theoretical aspects of Virtual Reality, Mission Control and IP Communication. However, the focus lies upon the practical part of this thesis which revolves around the first steps of the implementation of the virtual Mission Control Room in the Unity Game Engine. Overall, this paper serves as a demonstration of Virtual Reality technology and shows its possibilities with respect to the operation of spacecrafts. N2 - Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit dem ersten Teil eines größeren Projekts, das das Ziel verfolgt, eine Software zu implementieren, die einen Missionskontrollraum in der virtuellen Realität erstellt. Die Software soll zum Einsatz für den Betrieb von Raumfahrzeugen eingesetzt werden und wurde speziell für die besonderen Echtzeitanforderungen von unbemannten Satellitenmissionen entwickelt. Vom Start über die gesamte Mission bis hin zur Entsorgung des Satelliten, müssen alle Systeme kontinuierlich überwacht und gesteuert werden, um den Erfolg der Mission zu gewährleisten. Der Missionsbetrieb ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil jeder Weltraum Mission und wird seit Jahrzehnten durchgeführt. Die jüngsten technologischen Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der immersiven Technologien ebnen den Weg für innovative Methoden zum Betrieb von Raumfahrzeugen. Virtuelle Realität ist in der Lage, die physischen Beschränkungen traditioneller Missionskontrollräume zu überwinden und bietet dadurch neue Möglichkeiten. Der Beitrag beleuchtet die grundlegenden theoretischen Aspekte von Virtual Reality, Missionskontrolle und IP-Kommunikation. Der Schwerpunkt liegt jedoch auf dem praktischen Teil der dieser Arbeit, der sich um die ersten Schritte der Implementierung des virtuellen Missionskontrollraums Raumes in der Unity Game Engine. Insgesamt dient diese Arbeit als Demonstration der Virtual Reality Technologie und zeigt deren Möglichkeiten im Hinblick auf den Betrieb von Raumschiffen. KW - Control room KW - virtual reality KW - spacecrarft control Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258261 ER - TY - THES A1 - Hofmann, Jan T1 - Deep Reinforcement Learning for Configuration of Time-Sensitive-Networking T1 - Deep Reinforcement Learning zur Konfiguration von Time-Sensitive-Networking N2 - Reliable, deterministic real-time communication is fundamental to most industrial systems today. In many other domains Ethernet has become the most common platform for communication networks, but has been unsuitable to satisfy the requirements of industrial networks for a long time. This has changed with the introduction of Time-Sensitive-Networking (TSN), a set of standards utilizing Ethernet to implement deterministic real-time networks. This makes Ethernet a viable alternative to the expensive fieldbus systems commonly used in industrial environments. However, TSN is not a silver bullet. Industrial networks are a complex and highly dynamic environment and the configuration of TSN, especially with respect to latency, is a challenging but crucial task. Various approaches have been pursued for the configuration of TSN in dynamic industrial environments. Optimization techniques like Linear Programming (LP) are able to determine an optimal configuration for a given network, but the time consumption exponentially increases with the complexity of the environment. Machine Learning (ML) has become widely popular in the last years and is able to approximate a near-optimal TSN configuration for networks of different complexity. Yet, ML models are usually trained in a supervised manner which requires large amounts of data that have to be generated for the specific environment. Therefore, supervised methods are not scalable and do not adapt to changing dynamics of the network environment. To address these issues, this work proposes a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) approach to the configuration of TSN in industrial networks. DRL combines two different disciplines, Deep Learning (DL) and Reinforcement Learning (RL), and has gained considerable traction in the last years due to breakthroughs in various domains. RL is supposed to autonomously learn a challenging task like the configuration of TSN without requiring any training data. The addition of DL allows to apply well-studied RL methods to a complex environment such as dynamic industrial networks. There are two major contributions made in this work. In the first step, an interactive environment is proposed which allows for the simulation and configuration of industrial networks using basic TSN mechanisms. The environment provides an interface that allows to apply various DRL methods to the problem of TSN configuration. The second contribution of this work is an in-depth study on the application of two fundamentally different DRL methods to the proposed environment. Both methods are evaluated on networks of different complexity and the results are compared to the ground truth and to the results of two supervised ML approaches. Ultimately, this work investigates if DRL can adapt to changing dynamics of the environment in a more scalable manner than supervised methods. N2 - Zuverlässige Echtzeitnetzwerke spielen eine zentrale Rolle im heutigen industriellen Umfeld. Während sich in anderen Anwendungsbereichen Ethernet als Technik für Kommunikationsnetze durchsetzen konnte, basiert industrielle Kommunikation bis heute häufig noch auf teuren Feldbus-Systemen. Mit der Einführung von Time-Sensitive-Networking (TSN) wurde Ethernet schließlich um eine Reihe von Standards erweitert, die die hohen Anforderungen an Echtzeitkommunikation erfüllen und Ethernet damit auch im industriellen Umfeld etablieren sollen. Doch für eine zuverlässige Kommunikation, besonders im Hinblick auf die Übertragungsverzögerung von Datenpaketen (Latenz), ist die richtige Konfiguration von TSN entscheidend. Dynamische Netzwerke zu konfigurieren ist ein Optimierungsproblem, das verschiedene Herausforderungen birgt. Verfahren wie die lineare Optimierung liefern zwar optimale Ergebnisse, jedoch steigt der Zeitaufwand exponentiell mit der Größe der Netzwerke. Moderne Lösungsansätze wie Machine Learning (ML) können sich einer optimalen Lösung annähern, benötigen jedoch üblicherweise große Datenmengen, auf denen sie trainiert werden (Supervised Learning). Diese Arbeit untersucht die Anwendung von Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) zur Konfiguration von TSN. DRL kombiniert Reinforcement Learning (RL), also das selbstständige Lernen ausschließlich durch Interaktion, mit dem Deep Learning (DL), dem Lernen mittels tiefer neuronaler Netze. Die Arbeit beschreibt, wie sich eine Umgebung für DRL zur Simulation und Konfiguration von industriellen Netzwerken implementieren lässt, und untersucht die Anwendung zweier unterschiedlicher Ansätze von DRL auf das Problem der TSN-Konfiguration. Beide Methoden wurden anhand von zwei unterschiedlich komplexen Datensätzen ausgewertet und die Ergebnisse sowohl mit den zeitaufwändig generierten Optimallösungen als auch mit den Ergebnissen zweier Supervised Learning-Ansätze verglichen. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass DRL optimale Ergebnisse auf kleinen Netzwerken erzielen kann und insgesamt in der Lage ist, Supervised Learning bei der Konfiguration von TSN zu übertreffen. Weiterhin konnte in der Arbeit demonstriert werden, dass sich DRL schnell an fundamentale Veränderungen der Umgebung anpassen kann, was mit Supervised Learning nur durch deutlichen Mehraufwand möglich ist. KW - Reinforcement Learning KW - Time-Sensitive Networking KW - Deep Reinforcement Learning KW - Time-Sensitive-Networking KW - Real-Time-Networks KW - Bestärkendes Lernen KW - Echtzeit-Netzwerke Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-215953 ER -