Open Access

The paper shows concepts of optical splitting based on three dimensional (3D) optical splitters based on multimode interference principle. This paper is focused on the design, fabrication and characterization of 3D MMI splitter with formed output waveguides based on IP-Dip polymer for direct application on optical fiber. The MMI optical splitter was simulated and fabricated using direct laser writing process. Output characteristics were characterized by highly resolved near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) and compared with 3D MMI splitter without output waveguides.

This paper describes two different designs of 1×8 passive optical splitters. The first splitter consists of cascade arranged directional waveguide branches (Y-branch splitter) with (0.8×0.16) µm2 waveguide cross-section. The second splitter is based on multimode interference occurring in a large MMI coupler, which uses a self-imaging effect for beam propagation, exhibiting the same waveguide core size as a Y-branch splitter. The waveguide channel profile, used in both approaches, is based on a silicon nitride material platform, with a refractive index of core being nc = 1.925 and a refractive index of cladding ncl = 1.4575. The splitters are designed as a planar structure for a medical operating wavelength 850 nm. Design, simulation, and optimization of passive optical components are performed by a commercial photonic software tool BeamPROP simulation engine by RSoft Photonics Suite tool, employing beam propagation method. This work aims to find the minimum physical dimensions of the designed splitters with the satisfactory optical performance. According to the minimum insertion loss and minimum non-uniformity, the optimum length of the splitters is determined. Finally, the optical properties of splitters for both approaches are discussed and compared with each other.

In this paper, we document optical splitters based on Y-branch and also on MMI splitting principle. The 1×4 Y-branch splitter was prepared in 3D geometry fully from polymer approaching the single mode transmission at 1550 nm. We also prepared new concept of 1×4 MMI optical splitter. Their optical properties and character of output optical field were measured by near-field scanning optical microscope. Splitting properties and optical outputs of both splitters are very promising and increase an attractiveness of presented 3D technology and polymers.

Design, simulation, and optimization of the 1×4 optical three-dimensional multimode interference splitter using IP-Dip polymer as a core and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Sylgard 184 as a cladding is demonstrated. The splitter was simulated by using beam propagation method in BeamPROP simulation module of RSoft photonic tool and optimized for an operating wavelength of 1.55 μm . According to the minimum insertion loss, the dimensions of the splitter were optimized for a waveguide with a core size of 4×4 μm2 . The objective of the study is to create the design for fabrication by three-dimensional direct laser writing optical lithography.

A new software tool, called AWG-Channel-Spacing, is developed to calculate accurate channel spacing of an arrayed waveguide gratings (AWG) optical multiplexer/demultiplexer. This tool has been developed with the application framework QT in the programming language C++. The tool was evaluated with a design of 20-channel 200 GHz AWG. The achieved simulated transmission characteristics prove the correct functionality of the tool.

This paper aims to study the design, simulation, and optimization of low-loss Y-branch passive optical splitters up to 64 output ports for telecommunication applications. For a waveguide channel profile, the standard material silica-on-silicon is used. The Y-splitters are designed and simulated at telecommunication operating wavelength, λ = 1550 nm. Except for the lengths of the used Y-branches, and a core size of the waveguides, design parameters such as port pitch between the waveguides and simulation parameters for all splitters are considered fixed. The simulation results are analyzed to determine the optimum length of the splitters and the optimum core size. Based on this optimization the total length of the highest designed 1×64 Y-branch splitter was reduced by 41.14 % for a waveguide core (5×5) μm2 compared to the length of splitter with a standard (6×6) μm2 core size.

A trend from centralized to decentralized production is emerging in the manufacturing domain leading to new and innovative approaches for long-established production methods. A technology supporting this trend is Cloud Manufacturing, which adapts technologies and concepts known from cloud computing to the manufacturing domain. A core aspect of Cloud Manufacturing is representing knowledge about manufacturing, e.g., machine capabilities, in a suitable form. This knowledge representation should be flexible and adaptable so that it fits across various manufacturing domains, but, at the same time, should also be specific and exhaustive. We identify three core capabilities that such a platform has to support, i.e., the product, the process and the production.We propose representing this knowledge in semantically specified knowledge graphs, essentially creating three through features interconnected ontologies each representing a facet of manufacturing. Finally, we present an exemplary implementation of a Cloud Manufacturing platform using this representation and its advantages.

This master thesis investigates drivers and barriers of innovation workshops for an intercultural participant group. Actively dealing with innovation management is considered vital for companies which are acting on competing markets. An innovation workshop is a useful tool in order to foster innovation ability, develop innovative ideas and drive innovation forward. Intercultural participant groups are not only a common challenge in today's business world but also entail several benefits as they incorporate diverse knowledge bases and perspectives and hence contribute to the ideation and innovation process. Within the master thesis a broad variety of barriers and drivers are evaluated. Main barriers of innovation workshops for an intercultural participant group are high conflict potential, miscommunication, language barriers, a lack of management support, no agreement on workshop objectives as well as poor workshop preparation, organization and facilitation. Main drivers of innovation workshops for an intercultural participant group are a heterogeneous group composition, intercultural competence of the facilitator, the opening up of mindset silos, an intensive workshop preparation and empathetic facilitation. These drivers and barriers build the basis for the determination of success factors and recommendations for action for organizers and facilitators of an innovation workshop for an intercultural participant group. In the further course of the paper an exemplary workshop design will be presented as a guideline and framework for managerial practice

The rapidly evolving nature of Industry 4.0 has confronted corporates with the challenge of being able to react rapidly and nimbly (Van Solingen, 2020). Hence, many corporates need to embark on a journey of adaptation toward becoming agile organisations (Schmitz, 2018). However, this adaptation can only be achieved if employees fully commit to changing to an agile posture, and the required commitment is simply not forthcoming without proper corporate initiatives (Neves & Caetano, 2009). As there is no holistic summary of corporate initiatives required to boost employees' commitment to change when approaching an agile transformation, this study supplements the current research. The initiatives are derived from the existing literature and from unique insights given into a European automotive supplier that is currently managing a global agile transformation. Employees’ perceptions of the transformation in Austria and China were recorded and conclusions regarding what drives employees’ commitment to change and what led to job terminations were determined.

Today, many businesses increasingly engage in pro-environmental activities to face environmental challenges such as pollution or climate change. In addition to formal management practices, employees are impacting environmental advances with voluntary pro-environmental activities, also known as Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment. The purpose of this master thesis is to explore factors that could influence employees’ engagement in Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment. For this aim, five semi-structured interviews were carried out with multinational corporations from the DACHL region. The results show that certain leadership styles, corporate culture, a sustainability-driven mindset, environmental concern, communication and motivation can influence employees’ engagement in Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment. In addition, the cumulative effect of small initiatives seems to considerably impact environmental sustainability. In contrast to past research on this topic, this study takes a qualitative approach to explore different influencing factors of Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment. In addition, the study focuses on businesses located in the DACHL region.

Power cables play an important role in power grids. Insulation faults in cables can have adverse effects on the operating behaviour. These effects can be assessed through an AC withstand test by using a very-low frequency high voltage generator. This generator produces a sinusoidal voltage waveform at 0.1Hz with high voltage levels up to 65kV peak. During the quality assessment, the power cable is repeatedly charged and discharged. The discharging process is done by a discharging circuit where the energy is dissipated thermally. But to reuse the dissipated energy a novel extension in form of an energy storage system is presented. This thesis, therefore, describes the design process of an energy storage system that allows the temporary storage of the discharge energy. The developed system is composed of a bidirectional DC/DC converter and an aluminium electrolytic capacitor as storage type. Based on the maximum VLF system ratings the energy storage unit is dimensioned and sized. The effective power flow control between the storage system and the available discharge energy is done by a synchronous buck-boost converter. This bidirectional converter works in continuous conduction mode over the complete charging phase. Together with a theoretical analysis of the underlying problem and the use of converter analysis methods the selected synchronous buck-boost converter is dimensioned and sized. In addition, a state space AC modeling of the converter with its electrical uncertainties is conducted. With the converters AC model, the controller is designed. A closed-loop input converter current control scheme based on a proportional-integral controller is implemented. The system assessment is done by a model-based hardware implementation in Matlab Simulink and Plecs Blockset. The system is rated to store discharge energies up to 4.3kJ in a short charging period of 2.5s. The maximum peak power during the charging phase is 2.7kW. The digital proportional-integral controller is implemented through an emulation process of the designed analog controller. Based on a C-code implementation of the digital controller the gap between the real hardware is reduced. During the design process theoretical calculations are made and reveal that designing a capacitor storage unit has a direct impact on the peak system currents and also impose also limitations on permissible DC voltage ranges on electrical components. The developed energy storage system and its power flow control strategy were investigated through simulation studies. The results show proper charging of the energy storage medium. In addition, also a statement of the final technical feasibility is made. In total, this work summarizes a detailed design process of the energy storage system. This proof of concept is intended to further advance the system integration.

This master’s thesis provides an overview of a more efficient, future-oriented living concept in Dornbirn, Austria. The use of a combined heat and power unit (CHP), in combination with a thermal storage, as a heating system is specifically investigated. In order to make this heating system more attractive for the consumer, the sale of the generated electricity from the CHP is considered. The more efficient use of energy for heating increases the attractiveness by a minimisation of the living space. This master’s thesis aims to draw attention to the issue and to achieve a rethinking in the planning of future living space. For the research and elaboration of this thesis, statistics and trustworthy literature were used, and physical modelling was applied. This Master’s thesis can be assigned to the fields of energy technology, mechatronics, architecture and civil engineering. It contributes for students, researchers, and other interested person in these sectors.

In today’s world, fiber optic networks for data transmission are an essential technology. This technology provides multiple advantages compared to conventional electrical data transmission. The simultaneous transmission of multiple optical signals in a single fiber is one of the main benefits of fiber optic cable. This is accomplished by directing the different optical signals into a single fibre and splitting them up after the transmission in order to obtain the individual signals. Arrayed Waveguide Gratings (AWGs) are used for this purpose in modern optical networks. Design and evaluation process are two components of AWG development. During the evaluation of several simulated and already manufactured AWGs for telecommunication applications, it was discovered that the channel spacing parameter does not conform telecommunication standards. The correct shift of the geometric parameter ”separation of the output waveguides” leads to the standard-conform channel spacing. According to the current state of the art, no commercial tool is available which calculates the shift of this parameter correctly. The aim of this thesis is the development of a software tool to calculate the accurate shifting of the geometric parameter ”separation of the output waveguides” of an AWG. This tool operates as an interface between the design and evaluation processes and must be able to import the data format of the evaluation process and returns the data in a suitable data format for the design process. The Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences uses three different methods for the shifting of the geometric parameter ”separation of the output waveguides”. These methods are evaluated and optimised as part of this thesis. Additionally, it has been determined that the shift of the geometric parameter ”separation of the output waveguides” has no significant impact on the performance of the AWG.

Skiing is one of the most popular winter sports in the world and especially in the alps. As the skiers enjoy their time on the slopes the most annoying thing that could happen is long waiting times at a lift. Unfortunately, because of climate changes, this happens more regularly because smaller skiing areas at lower altitudes have to close and the number of good skiing days decreases as well. This leads to a increase in the number of skiers in the skiing areas which inevitably leads to longer waiting times and dissatisfied skiers. To prevent this from happening, the carriers of the skiing areas have to manage the skiers flow and distribution and what better way to analyse the current situation and possible changes then by simulating the whole area. A simulation has the advantage of being flexible with regards to time as well as configuration. Be it simulating a skiing day and look into detail of the behaviour of a single skier and how it moves in the area by simulating in real time or setting the focus to the whole area and find out when and where queues are forming throughout the whole day by speeding up the time and simulate the day in only seconds, everything is possible. Even simulating a scenario where some part of the area is closed and the skiers cannot take specific lifts due to some technical error or some slopes because of to less snow. By simulating and analysing all these scenarios not only does the experts of the skiing area gain valuable statistical information about the area but can also simulate changes to the system like a crowd fl ow control or an increase or decrease in capacity of a lift. The simulation built in context with this work for the skiing area of Mellau shows all those applications but can also be used as a basis for further improvements of the skiing area or be expanded to other areas like Damüls. The simulation was implemented using the Anylogic simulation environment and the statistical evaluation was also performed in this program.

The inatura museum in Dornbirn had planned an interactive speech assistant-like exhibit. The concept was that visitors could ask the exhibit several questions that they would like to ask a flower. Solution requirements regarding the functionalities were formulated, such as the capacity to run offline because of privacy reasons. Due to the similarity of the exhibit, open-source offline Speech To Text (STT) engines and speech assistants were examined. Proprietary cloud-based STT engines associated with the corresponding speech assistants were also researched. The aim behind this was to evaluate the hypothesis of whether an open-source offline STT engine can compete with a proprietary cloud-based STT engine. Additionally, a suitable STT engine or speech assistant would need to be evaluated. Furthermore, analysis regarding the adaption possibilities of the STT models took place. After the technical analysis, the decision in favour of the STT engines called "Vosk" was made. This analysis was followed by attempts to adapt the model of Vosk. Vosk was compared to proprietary cloud-based Google Cloud Speech to Text to evaluate the hypothesis. The comparison resulted in not much of a significant difference between Vosk and Google Cloud Speech to Text. Due to this result, a recommendation to use Vosk for the exhibit was given. Due to the lack of intent parsing functionality, two algorithms called "text matching algorithm" and "text and keyword matching algorithm" were implemented and tested. This test proved that the text and keyword matching algorithm performed better, with an average success rate of 83.93 %. Consequently, this algorithm was recommended for the intent parsing of the exhibit. In the end, potential adaption possibilities for the algorithms were given, such as using a different string matching library. Some improvements regarding the exhibit were also presented.

With the rise of people wearing smartwatches and the ever-lasting issue of stress, there has been an interest in detecting stress with wearables in real-time. This allows for interventions that take place exactly when stress occurs. However, many situations require all of our attention, making them unsuitable for any interventions. Additionally, many approaches currently do not factor in this aspect, running the risk of offering users undesirable interventions. This thesis examines how contextual user information can be incorporated into a stress intervention system to reduce undesirable intervention timings. The system is split into detecting stress using heart rate variability (HRV) metrics obtained from a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal, and inferring user context from available sensor data. It is evaluated with a simulation-based approach using daily schedules of created personas and randomly sampled stressors during daily life. The results obtained indicate the benefit of adding contextual user information to a stress intervention system. Depending on the busyness of the schedule, it can greatly decrease the number of received interventions. However, as these findings are attained without performing a user testing, it is unclear how they compare to results from real-world usage.

The alarming degradation of the natural environment is leading many consumers to increasingly demand sustainable products. Since 2017, the global purchase intention of such products has increased by 63%. To respond to the increasing demand, more and more companies have started producing products from sustainable materials such as recycled products. However, purchase intention does not always result in actual behavior and can vary due to different products and in country-specific contexts. Hence, it is the purpose of this study to determine which factors influence the purchase intention of recycled products and whether these factors differ between a developed country such as Germany and a developing country such as South Africa. Furthermore, the study aims to discover whether there are differences in purchase intention with regard to different product categories, whether there is an intention-behavior gap, and whether there are country-specific differences. Finally, target groups of the corresponding countries will be derived. To answer the research questions, a quantitative study was conducted using an online questionnaire in Germany (n = 603) and South Africa (n = 692). The findings demonstrate that the purchase intention for recycled products is significantly higher in South Africa than in Germany, but no significant difference in the factors influencing the purchase intention could be found. However, the factors differ in terms of the extent of their influence. Thus, the factor “Attitude / Environmental Concern” has the strongest influence in South Africa, while the factor “Value / Accessibility” has the strongest influence in Germany. Likewise, a difference could be found concerning the products, with the purchase intention for mobile phones generally smaller than for t-shirts and toilet paper. In a country-specific comparison, however, purchase intention for t-shirts is significantly higher in South Africa than in Germany. An intention-behavior gap was identified for the sample, and it was found that the age groups 25 to 49 have the strongest purchase intentions and that the purchase intention increases significantly with increasing education level.

The presented master thesis of the study subject International Marketing and Sales at the Fachhochschule Vorarlberg in Dornbirn deals with the influence of emotions on the attitude toward hydrogen cars and their purchase intention. For this purpose, an empirical analysis with a correlation analysis was conducted in order to be able to determine the correlations of the individual parameters. At the beginning of the thesis the hydrogen technology was presented in more detail and by means of suitable criteria it was shown that the hydrogen car represents a certain potential, however, in comparison to the combustion cars and electric cars, the hydrogen car is currently in third place. The relatively long range, the fast-refueling and the sustainability were identified as advantages, while the current high price and the poorly developed refueling station network are currently the biggest ob-stacles to a hydrogen car. It can be seen that research and development of hydrogen cars is being driven forward in many countries around the world, including by the gov-ernment side through the provision of various subsidies. For this reason, the future development of the driving technology remains exciting and simultaneously uncertain. In the second step of the work, emotions were examined in more detail. The aim was to find out which emotions exist and which of them are predominant when buying a car, and then to find out what influence emotions have on the cognitive process, the attitude, and the purchase intention. It turned out that the majority of the population is highly involved in the purchase of a car and therefore tries to make rational decisions, which makes the influence of emotions more difficult, but not impossible. By presenting suitable marketing tools for measuring emotions, it was shown that measuring emotions is a difficult undertaking. Measurement is often difficult or expen-sive and involves a great deal of effort. For this reason, beside the presentation of marketing tools, the strategic approach for a marketing campaign was also presented. Based on the conducted empirical analysis, the influence of emotions on attitude and purchase intention could not be significantly confirmed but it could be proven that the knowledge about hydrogen cars is currently low. One inside is that an increase in awareness increases the purchase intention of hydrogen cars. Furthermore, a signifi-cant correlation between the sustainable attitude and the purchase intention could be proven. In addition, people who like to follow new trends are more likely to buy a hy-drogen car than others. This paper concludes with a brief summary of the findings and an outlook on the potential for improvement of the hydrogen car market. Keywords: Hydrogen Cars, Sustainability, Emotions in Marketing, Purchase Inten-tion, Attitude, Marketing Tool

The research focused on the wood pellet market for private consumers in Germany and has the objective to understand the factors affecting the purchase decisions of wood pellets buy-ers. The aims of the research were achieved by applying the Engel, Kollat, Blackwell model of consumer behaviour, by conducting in-depth interviews and deriving the grounded theory. The application of EKB model revealed that the following groups of factors may influence the con-sumers: cultural (culture and social class), social (family influence), personal (age and lifecycle stage), psychological (believes, motives, attitudes) and unexpected circumstances. In-depth interviews with the buyers of wood pellets helped specify the influencing factors to finally an-swer the research question. The analysis showed that the buyers of wood pellets are influ-enced by family, personal believes and attitudes, and the unexpected circumstances. The most important factors for the buyers are the quality of the pellets and reliability of the supplier. If they are satisfied with the quality of product and service, they will be reluctant to look for an alternative. And on the opposite side, in case the quality of the product or the service is unsat-isfactory this is a limiting factor and will stop the buyer from purchasing this product. Price is an important factor for the buyers of pellets in bags. However, in the situation of volatile mar-ket and exploding prices, the price factor will play a bigger role. Thus, the strategic factors for marketing of pellets is to concentrate on quality and price communication, and to focus on the quality of pellet delivery service.

Startups usually have high growth ambitions but only limited resources. Therefore, they are looking for efficient and effective methods to grow their business. However, if they go interna-tional, challenging changes will likely be made if the company is not focused on the global market. The aim of this work is therefore to support startups in the internationalization of their business and to provide guidance from the beginning by using strategic marketing elements to facilitate this process. To achieve this, a qualitative method of analysis was chosen. First, a literature review was conducted on the relevant topics of a startup, strategic marketing, and internationalization. Five success factors emerged from the literature: commitment, strategy, research, marketing mix adaptation, and organization and network. These were then ana-lyzed in more detail in expert interviews. The analysis of the interview results shows that for the internationalization of startups, the commitment to internationalization and a global mindset is of great importance from the very beginning. This is because they influence all supporting and strategic marketing elements.