In the past few months, several journal articles from the MBS professors have been published. The blog article gives an overview of the most recent publications.
As in previous publications, MBS professor Dr. Sophie Hieke addresses the topic of nutrition and consumption in her current paper “Preferences of German Consumers for Meat Products Blended with Plant-Based Proteins”, more specifically the consumption and acceptance of so-called meathybrids. While meat consumption is increasingly criticized, plant-based meat substitutes are booming as an alternative protein source with several social, environmental and probably health benefits. Nevertheless, research has shown that in many countries consumers have a strong attachment to meat and consider it an integral element of their daily diet. For this target group, so-called meathybrids, in which only a fraction of the meat product (20% to 50%) is replaced by plant proteins, can be a bridge to more sustainable food consumption. The research paper, written in collaboration with Profeta, Baune, Smetana, Bornkessel, Broucke, Van Royen, Enneking, Weiss, Heinz and Terjung, investigates the preferences and attitudes of 500 German consumers towards meathybrids. It becomes clear that more than 50 percent of consumers already substitute meat at least occasionally and that their own health (perception) weighs more heavily as an argument for giving up meat than altruistic motives such as animal welfare and environmental protection. The full article can be read here.
Heiko Seif’s journal article “Service innovation enabled by Internet of Things and cloud computing – a service-dominant logic perspective” was inspired during a stay abroad at the Indian MBS partner university Management Development Institute in Gurgaon. Together with his Indian colleagues, MBS professor Dr. Heiko Seif analyzes service innovation in the context of systems having layered-modular and service-oriented architecture in the aviation domain, whereby important operational principles for the orchestration of the service innovation process can be derived. The combination of complementary paradigms of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing has a huge potential
for creating innovative services. While the technical aspects of this integration are adressed in research, the service innovation process has not received much attention, so this paper fills a void here. The full paper can be purchased here.
MBS professor Dr. Patricia Kraft also deals with the Internet of Things in her latest research paper. The publication “New business models with Industrie 4.0 in the German Mittelstand” provides an overview of different types of digital business models, including important external and internal drivers. Using the example of a German ‘Mittelstand’ manufacturer currently going through this process, researchers Kraft, Helm and Dowling show that the complexity and chances of success of new business models with Industrie 4.0 increase with the integration of players from the respective ecosystem and a focus on the system rather than the product. The full paper can be viewed here.
