The Bertelsmann AG: An Exploratory Case Study on Synergy Management in a Globally Acting Media Organization

By the multiple usage of immaterial resources across organizational and national market borders, globally acting media conglomerates are able to achieve outstanding synergies. For this reason, they are expected to realize higher margins of profit than smaller-size, nondiversified media firms. However, no empirical evidence has been found for a positive correlation between a firm's size or its presence in many businesses of the media industry and its economic performance until now. Consequently, possible synergies do not seem to be fully exploited in many cases. This article analyzes how to institutionalize and implement synergy management in decentralized media organizations. For these purposes, we first develop a basic understanding and then conduct an exploratory case study on Bertelsmann's approach, which overcomes the stress ratio between corporate coordination and independent action at the operational level. Distinguishing various product types and triggers, this case study renders the process of synergy management more precisely and illustrates how to arrange responsibilities between organizational units. Finally, by relating the results of the case study to the body of literature, we work out patterns of responsibility assignment and drivers of success for strategic integration. In contrast to operational integration, the latter may lead to synergies due to cross-divisional cooperation and business development.     

Wider die „Sternchenkunde“!

In general, empirical results are analyzed using statistical methods to examine and discuss differences and interrelationships. Statistical methodological evaluation and the underlying reporting strategy can be described as a technical language that has to be learnt for successful communication between researchers, authors and reviewers; however, empirical science is a constantly changing environment which is why the statistical methods applied have to be refined to adhere to new empirical approaches. This line of thought will be discussed in this article and five essential recommendations will be presented: (a) directionality of hypotheses, (b) confidence intervals, (c) effect sizes, (d) confidence intervals of effect sizes and (e) practical meaningfulness.     

Dissecting “Peer Presence” and “Decisions” to Deepen Understanding of Peer Influence on Adolescent Risky Choice

This study evaluated the aspects of complex decisions influenced by peers, and components of peer involvement influential to adolescents’ risky decisions. Participants (N = 140) aged 13–25 completed the Columbia Card Task (CCT), a risky choice task, isolating deliberation-reliant and affect-reliant decisions while alone, while a friend monitors choices, and while a friend is merely present. There is no condition in which a nonfriend peer is present. Results demonstrated the risk-increasing peer effect occurred in the youngest participants in the cold CCT and middle-late adolescents in the hot CCT, whereas other ages and contexts showed a risk-decreasing peer effect. Mere presence was not sufficient to influence risky behavior. These boundaries in age, decision, and peer involvement constrain prevailing models of adolescent peer influence.