Handels- und wettbewerbspolitische Entwicklungen der deutschen und europäischen Warendistribution

Die Einbindung des Groß- und Einzelhandels in die Gesamtwirtschaft hat nicht nur die Unternehmens- und Wettbewerbsstrukturen des Handels wesentlich verändert, sondern auch zu neuen Funktionsprofilen bei den Handelsunternehmen selbst und bei Unternehmen in den übrigen Wirtschaftssektoren geführt. Im Zuge dieser Veränderungen werden zunehmend Vermarktungs- und Betriebsfunktionen des Handels vor allem von Unternehmen der Dienstleistungs- und Produktionssektoren übernommen. Prof. Dr. Erich Greipl, Universität Mannheim, analysiert im Zusammenarbeit mit dem ifo Institut diese Strukturentwicklungen in der deutschen und europäischen Warendistribution.Vertriebsweg; Strukturwandel; Handel

Dialektik des Anfangs - Parakonsistenz bei Platon und Hegel

Diese Arbeit geht erst auf den Begriff der Dialektik im Allgemeinen ein, und führt dann ein logisches Muster anhand der Paradoxa in Logik und Mengenlehre vor: der Widerspruch ist unvermeidlich und nicht auflösbar. Dieses Muster wird dann versucht an Hegels Einleitung zur Wissenschaft der Logik nachzuweisen: die Kontradiktion liegt in der Sache begründet und kann nicht aufgelöst werden. Am Anfang der Wissenschaft der Logik liegt somit eine Antinomie vor; der Anfang kann nicht widerspruchsfrei formuliert werden. Weiterhin wird das Muster des Widerspruchs auch an Platons Parmenides vorgeführt. Es wird erwiesen, dass auch in der Ideenlehre ein Widerspruch zu Grunde liegt, der nicht aufgelöst werden kann. Es wird verdeutlicht, dass Platon selbst diese Antinomie vorgeführt und akzeptiert hat: der zweite Teil des Parmenides erweist eben dies

“You are doomed!" Crisis-specific and Dynamic Use of Fear Speech in Protest and Extremist Radical Social Movements

Social media messages can elicit emotional reactions and mobilize users. Strategic utilization of emotionally charged messages, particularly those inducing fear, potentially nurtures a climate of threat and hostility online. Coined fear speech (FS), such communication deliberately portrays certain entities as imminently harmful and drives the perception of a threat, especially when the topic is already crisis-laden. Despite the notion that FS and the resulting climate of threat can serve as a justification for radical attitudes and behavior toward outgroups, research on the prevalence, nature, and context of FS is still scarce. The current paper aims to close this gap and provides a definition of FS, its theoretical foundations, and a starting point for (automatically) detecting FS on social media. The paper presents the results of a manual as well as an automated content analysis of three broadly categorized actor types within a larger radical German Telegram messaging sphere (2.9 million posts). With a rather conservative classification approach, we analyzed the prevalence and distribution of FS for more than five years in relation to six crisis-specific topics. A substantial proportion between 21% and 34% within the observed communication of radical/extremist actors was classified as FS. Additionally, the relative amount of FS was found to increase with the overall posting frequency. This underscores FS's potential as an indicator for radicalization dynamics and crisis escalation

Far-right conspiracy groups on fringe platforms: a longitudinal analysis of radicalization dynamics on Telegram

Societal crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, produce societal instability and create a fertile ground for radicalization. Extremists exploit such crises by distributing disinformation to amplify uncertainty and distrust among the public. Based on these developments, this study presents a longitudinal analysis of far-right communication on fringe platforms, demonstrating radicalization dynamics. Public Telegram communication of three movements active in Germany (QAnon, Identitarian Movement, Querdenken) was analyzed through a quantitative content analysis of 4500 messages posted to nine channels between March 2020 and February 2021. We study the movements' discourse using several indicators of radicalization dynamics. The increasing prevalence of conspiracy narratives, anti-elitism, political activism, and support for violence indicate radicalization dynamics in these movements’ online communication. However, these dynamics varied within the movements. It can be concluded that, when studying radicalization dynamics online, it is crucial to not just focus on one single indicator, but consider longitudinal changes across several indicators, ideally comparing different movements

Engaging learners with games–Insights from functional near-infrared spectroscopy

The use of game elements in learning tasks is thought to facilitate emotional and behavioral responses as well as learner engagement. So far, however, little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms of game-based learning. In the current study, we added game elements to a number line estimation task assessing fraction understanding and compared brain activation patterns to a non-game-based task version. Forty-one participants performed both task versions in counterbalanced order while frontal brain activation patterns were assessed using near-infrared spectroscopy (within-subject, cross-sectional study design). Additionally, heart rate, subjective user experience, and task performance were recorded. Task performance, mood, flow experience, as well as heart rate did not differ between task versions. However, the game-based task-version was rated as more attractive, stimulating and novel compared to the non-game-based task version. Additionally, completing the game-based task version was associated with stronger activation in frontal brain areas generally involved in emotional and reward processing as well as attentional processes. These results provide new neurofunctional evidence substantiating that game elements in learning tasks seem to facilitate learning through emotional and cognitive engagement.Peer reviewe

No Pain, no Gain? Investigating motivational mechanisms of game elements in cognitive tasks

The literature on serious games and gamification suggests that game elements have a positive influence on learning and performance in cognitive tasks. However, the mechanisms by which game elements affect these outcomes are not well understood. Building on theorizing in the self-control literature, the present research investigated whether game elements change the subjective experience of a cognitive task in terms of the positive affect, motivational conflict, and subjective effort experienced. Further, we tested whether people with a low versus high level of self-control benefit more from game elements in terms of their performance. The results of two experimental studies suggest that the gamification of an n-back task did not improve task accuracy (i.e., correct responses) directly but reduced task disengagement (i.e., non-responses). Further, gamification prevented positive affect from dropping over the course of the task and reduced motivational conflict and subjective effort experienced. Only positive affect mediated the effect of game elements on task disengagement. Further, game elements had an indirect effect on task accuracy via subjective effort. There was no indication that individuals with lower delay of gratification or lower trait self-control would profit more from gamification. The implications of these findings for the literature on self-control and gamification are discussed