Einflussfaktoren und Wirkungen der Unternehmenskommunikation auf den Unternehmenserfolg im Anlagen- und Systemgeschäft - theoretische Konzeption und empirische Evaluierung

This thesis investigates the factors of influence and the impact of business communication on business success in the industrial plant and systems market. To cover all relevant aspects the topic is dealt with on three levels: Level one focuses on business markets in general, level two on the investment goods market and level three on the industrial plant and systems market. Four research questions are developed to investigate the topic. Question one to three, which focus on the theoretical part of the thesis, aim at defining the various factors of influence of business communication on business success and their interaction. Question four is treated in the empirical part of the thesis which allows to create recommendations of action for business people involved in communication. The critical review of literature results in a first conceptualization of the construct which proves that there is an impact of business communication on business success (enabling, hygienic, information, and investment function) and that this impact is of high complexity. It also shows that several factors of influence – of the internal, external (micro and macro) and bilateral environment of a company – are in interaction. Variables like personality, situation, and communication instrument influence this interaction. The empirical approach examines how the theoretical findings are seen in praxis. Seven experts of the paper machine business, one of the oldest sectors of the industrial plant and systems market, give industry insights and highlight the potential of business communication to generate business success. Moreover trends and challenges are discussed as well as the necessity of communication controlling and the local adaptation of communication activities. The merge and analysis of the theoretical and empirical findings result in the final conceptualization of the construct that can be taken as a basis for further research work (e.g. quantitative approach to enable a generalization of the data). The key findings attest that business communication can have a positive impact on business success if it is practiced in a constant, consequent, structured, transparent, and reliable way with high emotional intelligence and considering local communication characteristics