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DISSERTATION
of the University of St.Gallen,
School of Management,
Economics, Law, Social Sciences
and International Affairs
to obtain the title of
Doctor of Philosophy in Management
submitted by
Alexander Magnus Schulte-Mattler
from
Germany
Approved on the application of
Prof. Dr. Andreas Herrmann
and
Prof. Dr. Torsten Tomczak
Dissertation no. 4626
Rosch-Buch, Schesslitz, 2017
The University of St. Gallen, School of Management, Economics, Law, Social Sciences
and International Affairs hereby consents to the printing of the present dissertation,
without hereby expressing any opinion on the views herein expressed.
St.Gallen, October 24, 2016
The President:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Bieger
This dissertation is dedicated to my beloved mother, father and brother.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Lifeislikeamoviewithmanysuddenchanges, withhighsandlowsandabiggerdestiny
that connects each episode to an underlying story-line, but when you are inside each
episode you most often cannot see the central theme. For me, the dissertation has been
a very challenging and similar exciting experience. I have grown enormously personally
and professionally during the dissertation time, which would not have been possible
without the contribution and support of several people.
I would like to thank my primary advisor, Prof. Dr. Andreas Herrmann for his
intellectual guidance, encouragement, and supervision. Andreas has been my mentor
throughout the last three years and has provided me with a unique and truly enjoy-
able learning experience. He has always offered his generous help, shared his insightful
perspectives, and showed a keen interest in my research at all stages of the dissertation
process. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Dr. Torsten
Tomczak, who served as the co-advisor of my doctoral dissertation with great enthusi-
asm. His persistent pleas for rigor and relevance have been an invaluable input to my
research. His willingness to discuss or meet on short notice – despite his busy schedule
– has been much appreciated.
I wish to express my appreciation to Dr.-Ing. Efstratia Zafeiriou for her continuous
professional feedback and personal guidance throughout the entire dissertation jour-
ney. It has been very much valued and helped me shape my professional ego. You have
taught me many lessons for the corporate world of today. For his personal as well as
professional guidance I am indebted to Michael Adolf in developing and shaping my
dissertation topic. Thank you for reviewing my results and offering challenging ques-
tions for bringing my topic to a higher excellence. I would like to thank Nils Wollny
and Karl Unger for believing in my topic and continuous support making my inter-
disciplinary dissertation journey possible. It was a pleasure receiving your assistance
and the open doors for corporate relevance discussions helped me to make the doctoral
thesis content even more relevant.
I am also thankful to all my friends and colleagues at the Institute for Customer
Insight at the University of St.Gallen, as well as, at the production and digital busi-
ness departments of my corporate cooperation partner. Special thanks go to my dear
colleagues of the “office number one” for the intensive discussions, support, and simply
awesome time. A big thank you goes to Elisa Gohr and Benjamin Holle for having me
in the “Beckerstrasse-WG” and Felix Gieseler for the phone calls and messages when I
needed them most. You all have always been there for me with advice, and I know I
have not been easy all the time.
My parents, Ulrike and Hermann, always told me that we are born with wings like
an eagle and we just need to learn how to fly. For a young eagle, it is stressful to
leave the aerie for the first time and fall into the deep. The challenges in life – like
this dissertation – can be overcome with the right mindset, because the limits are all
set in our minds. With my parents’ love, support, and understanding, it was much
easier for me to complete this arduous “flight”. You gave everything for my personal
and professional development and empowered me to follow my dreams. I thank my
mom deeply for her support in all essential matters at every step of my way. My dad
is especially my role model in the face of adversity. You both have listened, when
necessary, and showed possible ways when I needed it the most. Deeply from my heart
with love, I would like to thank you for everything. Having such inspiring parents is all
one could ask for. Special thanks must also go to my best friend and brother, Marius,
for being there every step of the way during my higher education. Your ease of dealing
with personal and professional challenges has always impressed me. Thank you for
showing me the positive angle of things when I have had to adapt to challenges in that
long dissertation journey. You are the best brother one can ask for.
The journey has connected me to my wonderful girlfriend, Antje. We were chal-
lenged during our dissertations, but we have always fought the difficulties together,
supporting each other in every way possible. I am looking forward and cannot ask for
somebody other than you. You feel my needs before I even know that they are there
and I love being able to share and discuss simply everything with you. A big thank
you also to Aldona and Edward Budzanowski, for the advice and discussions while
providing a place to relax and come up with different thoughts.
St.Gallen, October 25, 2016
Alexander M. Schulte-Mattler
Description:My parents, Ulrike and Hermann, always told me that we are born with wings like increase in response to the persuasive social information. items, download a PDF file, generate a specific code for the customization or ask for
