Research

In addition to conceptual research, we apply both qualitative and especially quantitative empirical research methods. As part of the quantitative research, data are gathered by surveys, derived from secondary sources and compiled to a database. Data are analyzed in descriptive, univariate, and multivariate analyses applying exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, linear, logarithmic, and hierarchic regression analyses, as well as variance- and covariance-based structural equation modeling. Methods are selected problem-specific and solution-oriented. Innovative methods and scales are developed and tested in practical applications that contribute to a better explanation and prediction of individual, group-specific, and organizational decision behavior by examining relevant factors.

Thus, our research focuses on various aspects of digitalization and innovation and their impact on customers, enterprises, and society in the media and technology domain. Moreover, our studies aim at deriving organizational implications for management and marketing, as well as societal and also individual implications.

Our research contributes to Business Model Dynamics, Media and Technology User Behavior, Entertainment Science, and Proactive Decision Making (see Research Emphases and Interests). These research areas combine various research streams; e.g., behavioral theory of the firm, diffusion and adoption of innovations, digital innovation, service-dominant logic, technology acceptance, uses and gratifications, as well as value-focused thinking. In particular, we investigate, for example, the role of digital technologies in business model innovation and transformation, of strategic market and technology orientation on business model change, of media technology acceptance of VR users and their satisfaction with the provided service, of lead users in different stages of the innovation and diffusion processes, and of the proactivity of companies and other decision-makers such as media consumers/prosumers. Furthermore, we examine antecedents and consequences of the concepts of customer engagement and actor engagement.

• Relationship between Actor Engagement and Business Model Change
• Digital Transformation and Path-Dependency of (News) Media Business Models
• Effects of Strategic Orientations (Alliance, Entrepreneurial, Market, and Technology Orientation) on Business Model Innovation/Transformation and Firm Performance
• Theoretical Foundations of Business Model Innovation and Digital Transformation
• Platform-Based Value Creation among Interconnected (Micro) Business Models
• Dyadic, Triadic, and Network-Related Value (Co-)Creation and (Co-)Destruction in Business Models of Media Agency Services in B2B Markets

Media and Technology User Behavior 

• Adoption and Usage Motivation of Innovative Media Services as well as Acceptance and Use of Novel Media Technologies; e.g., Augmented/Virtual Reality, Mobile TV, or Video on Demand
• Impact of COVID-19 Content-Related Posts on Social Media User Engagement
• Effects of Innovativeness and Lead-Usership on Technology Acceptance and Use
• Comparison of Free, Advertising, and Subscription Video-On-Demand Streaming Services
• Cross-Cultural Differences in Mobile Service Usage
• Digital User Behavior of Generations X, Y, and Z

Entertainment Science

• Drivers of Digital Home Video Success
• Impact of Non-Content-Related Signaling Factors on Public Subsidization and Private Investment Decisions in the Motion Picture Industry
• Customer Engagement in Online Gaming Communities
• Influences of Content and Hardware on the Experience of Flow in Virtual Reality Gaming
• Sport Content, Sponsorship, and Branded Entertainment Strategies
• Value Co-Creation Networks in eSports Service Ecosystems

Proactive Decision Making

• Antecedents, Covariates, and Consequences of Proactive Decision Making
• Understanding and Increasing Life Satisfaction and Individual Well-Being
• Proactive Decision Making in the Innovation Management Process
• Effects of Proactive Decision Making on Entrepreneurial and Innovational Success
• Value-Focused Thinking-based Objective Structuring and Scorecard Development