Bestimmungsfaktoren und Wirkungen von Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit : eine empirische Studie am Beispiel des Automobilhandels

Die Ergebnisse zahlreicher empirischer Studien belegen einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen der Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit und wünschenswerten Variablen organisationalen Verhaltens. Die Mitarbeiterzufriedenheitsforschung leistet einen zentralen Beitrag zur Erklärung und Optimierung von Unternehmenseffizienz und -effektivität. Die Forschungsbemühungen sind jedoch durch eine starke Heterogenität bei der Untersuchung von Determinanten und Konsequenzen des Mitarbeiterzufriedenheitskonstruktes gekennzeichnet. Ferner enthalten die im allgemeinen branchenspezifischen Forschungsarbeiten zumeist nur eine geringe Anzahl isolierter Zielvariablen. Obgleich die Kenntnis der Kausalitäten der Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit speziell für die|Handelsorganisationen in der Automobilindustrie aufgrund sich verändernder rechtlicher Rahmenbedingungen von hoher Bedeutung ist, existiert bis dato keine Untersuchung, welche das Erkenntnisinteresse auf diese Branche fokussiert. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie liegt daher in der Identifizierung der Bestimmungsfaktoren und Konsequenzen von Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit für den Automobilhandel. Hierzu werden Zusammenhangsvermutungen zu der dem Mitarbeiterzufriedenheitskonstrukt umgebenden komplexen Dependenzstruktur theoretisch hergeleitet und|mittels eines linearen Strukturgleichungsmodells überprüft. Anhand der Ergebnisse der Untersuchung lassen sich organisationales Vertrauen sowie Unternehmensimage als einflussreiche Determinanten und organisationale Bindung sowie Mitarbeitermotivation als Konsequenz von|Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit identifizieren und damit die hervorragende Bedeutung des Konstruktes zur Steigerung des Unternehmenserfolges bestätigen. Managementimplikationen bieten Vertretern der Unternehmenspraxis zahlreiche konkrete Ansätze zum Aufbau und zur Optimierung der Zufriedenheit ihrer Mitarbeiter

Local Strategy Improvement for Parity Game Solving

The problem of solving a parity game is at the core of many problems in model checking, satisfiability checking and program synthesis. Some of the best algorithms for solving parity game are strategy improvement algorithms. These are global in nature since they require the entire parity game to be present at the beginning. This is a distinct disadvantage because in many applications one only needs to know which winning region a particular node belongs to, and a witnessing winning strategy may cover only a fractional part of the entire game graph. We present a local strategy improvement algorithm which explores the game graph on-the-fly whilst performing the improvement steps. We also compare it empirically with existing global strategy improvement algorithms and the currently only other local algorithm for solving parity games. It turns out that local strategy improvement can outperform these others by several orders of magnitude

Mitral Annular and Coronary Artery Calcification Are Associated with Mortality in HIV-Infected Individuals.

BackgroundHIV infection increases cardiovascular risk. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) and mitral annular calcification (MAC) identify patients at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between MAC, CAC and mortality in HIV-infected individuals.Methods and resultsWe studied 152 asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and computed tomography (CT). MAC was identified on TTE using standardized criteria. Presence of CAC, CAC score and CAC percentiles were determined using the modified Agatston criteria. Mortality data was obtained from the Social Security and National Death Indices (SSDI/NDI). The median age was 49 years; 87% were male. The median duration of HIV was 16 years; 84% took antiretroviral therapy; 64% had an undetectable viral load. CVD risk factors included hypertension (35%), smoking (62%) and dyslipidemia (35%). Twenty-five percent of individuals had MAC, and 42% had CAC. Over a median follow-up of 8 years, 11 subjects died. Subjects with CAC had significantly higher mortality compared to those with MAC only or no MAC. The Harrell's C-statistic of CAC was 0.66 and increased to 0.75 when MAC was added (p = 0.05). MAC, prior CVD, age and HIV viral load were independently associated with higher age- and gender-adjusted CAC percentiles in an adjusted model (p < 0.05 for all).ConclusionIn HIV patients, the presence of MAC, traditional risk factors and HIV viral load were independently associated with CAC. Presence of CAC and MAC may be useful in identifying HIV-infected individuals at higher risk for death

Nanoengineered magnetic-field-induced superconductivity

The perpendicular critical fields of a superconducting film have been strongly enhanced by using a nanoengineered lattice of magnetic dots (dipoles) on top of the film. Magnetic-field-induced superconductivity is observed in these hybrid superconductor / ferromagnet systems due to the compensation of the applied field between the dots by the stray field of the dipole array. By switching between different magnetic states of the nanoengineered field compensator, the critical parameters of the superconductor can be effectively controlled.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Superconducting Vortices and Elliptical Ferromagnetic Textures

In this article an analytical and numerical study of superconducting thin film with ferromagnetic textures of elliptical geometries in close proximity is presented. The screening currents induced in the superconductor due to the magnetic texture are calculated. Close to the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ the spontaneous creation of superconducting vortices becomes energy favorable depending on the value of the magnetization and the geometrical quantities of the magnetic texture. The creation of vortices by elliptic dots is more energy favorable than those created by circular ones. The superconductor covered by elliptic dots array exhibits anisotropic transport properties.Comment: 4 pages, 5figure

Density Matrix Renormalization Group of Gapless Systems

We investigate convergence of the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) in the thermodynamic limit for gapless systems. Although the DMRG correlations always decay exponentially in the thermodynamic limit, the correlation length at the DMRG fixed-point scales as $\xi \sim m^{1.3}$, where $m$ is the number of kept states, indicating the existence of algebraic order for the exact system. The single-particle excitation spectrum is calculated, using a Bloch-wave ansatz, and we prove that the Bloch-wave ansatz leads to the symmetry $E(k)=E(\pi -k)$ for translationally invariant half-integer spin-systems with local interactions. Finally, we provide a method to compute overlaps between ground states obtained from different DMRG calculations.Comment: 11 pages, RevTex, 5 figure

Investigation of the Two-Particle-Self-Consistent Theory for the Single-Impurity Anderson Model and an Extension to the Case of Strong Correlation

The two-particle-self-consistent theory is applied to the single-impurity Anderson model. It is found that it cannot reproduce the small energy scale in the strong correlation limit. A modified scheme to overcome this difficulty is proposed by introducing an appropriate vertex correction explicitly. Using the same vertex correction, the self-energy is investigated, and it is found that under certain assumptions it reproduces the result of the modified perturbation theory which interpolates the weak and the strong correlation limits.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Ice Algae-Produced Carbon Is Critical for Overwintering of Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba

Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (“krill”) constitute a fundamental food source for Antarctic seabirds and mammals, and a globally important fisheries resource. The future resilience of krill to climate change depends critically on the winter survival of young krill. To survive periods of extremely low production by pelagic algae during winter, krill are assumed to rely partly on carbon produced by ice algae. The true dependency on ice algae-produced carbon, however, is so far unquantified. This confounds predictions on the future resilience of krill stocks to sea ice decline. Fatty acid (FA) analysis, bulk stable isotope analysis (BSIA), and compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of diatom- and dinoflagellate-associated marker FAs were applied to quantify the dependency of overwintering larval, juvenile, and adult krill on ice algae-produced carbon (αIce) during winter 2013 in the Weddell-Scotia Confluence Zone. Our results demonstrate that the majority of the carbon uptake of the overwintering larval and juvenile krill originated from ice algae (up to 88% of the carbon budget), and that the dependency on ice algal carbon decreased with ontogeny, reaching <56% of the carbon budget in adults. Spatio-temporal variability in the utilization of ice algal carbon was more pronounced in larvae and juvenile krill than in adults. Differences between αIce estimates derived from short- vs. long-term FA-specific isotopic compositions suggested that ice algae-produced carbon gained importance as the winter progressed, and might become critical at the late winter-spring transition, before the phytoplankton bloom commences. Where the sea ice season shortens, reduced availability of ice algae might possibly not be compensated by surplus phytoplankton production during wintertime. Hence, sea ice decline could seriously endanger the winter survival of recruits, and subsequently overall biomass of krill

SN1A data and the CMB of Modified Curvature at short and long distances

The SN1a data, although inconclusive, when combined with other observations makes a strong case that our universe is presently dominated by dark energy. We investigate the possibility that large distance modifications of the curvature of the universe would perhaps offer an alternative explanation of the observation. Our calculations indicate that a universe made up of no dark energy but instead, with a modified curvature at large scales, is not scale-invariant, therefore quite likely it is ruled out by the CMB observations. The sensitivity of the CMB spectrum is checked for the whole range of mode modifications of large or short distance physics. The spectrum is robust against modifications of short-distance physics and the UV cutoff when: the initial state is the adiabatic vacuum, and the inflationary background space is de Sitter.Comment: 13 pages, 2 eps figures, typos corrected, references added; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Interdisciplinary observations of the under-ice environment using a remotely operated vehicle

Improving our understanding of the climate and ecosystem of the sea-ice covered Arctic Ocean was a key objective during MOSAiC. We aimed for a better understanding of the linkages of physical and biological processes at the interface between sea ice and ocean. To enhance the quantification of these linkages, year-round observations of physical, biological, and chemical parameters are needed. We operated a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with an interdisciplinary sensor platform to simultaneously measure these parameters underneath the drifting sea ice. These observations were made synchronous in time and place enabling a description of their spatial and temporal variability. Overall, we completed more than 80 surveys covering all seasons and various sea ice and surface conditions. We focused on optical parameters, sea-ice bottom topography, and upper ocean physical and biological oceanography. In addition, visual documentation of the under-ice environment was performed, nets for zooplankton were towed, and the ROV was used for instrument deployment and maintenance. Here, we present all ROV sensor data, allowing for a comprehensive picture of the under-ice environment. We are inviting discussions on further collaboration in data analyses and usage, in particular co-location and merging with other datasets from MOSAiC and other (also future) projects