Banking & Finance

The Banking & Finance research cluster is at the beginning of its establishment and currently has two major interest focuses: basic questions regarding corporate finance and basic questions of banks' value-added.

Practice partners work together with scientists and students in this research cluster in the long term and sustainably on the following listed research focus. The Research - Teaching - Practice transfer considerably increases the relevance and practical relevance of the individual topic fields. Moreover, new business models can be analysed and their degree of maturity influenced at an earlier stage and with a higher degree of certainty with regard to the opportunities and risks they involve. Additionally, existing synergy potential can be exploited via commonly used resources.

This research cluster is represented by Dipl.-Kfm. Winfried Heinrichson, lecturer for International Finance & Accounting, Dr. Laxmi Remer, professor for Finance and Prof. Dr. Roberto Anero, holder of the professorship for Controlling and Financial Management.

The research cluster consists of four research fields within which various topics are processed:

Retail banking

• Marketing and sales of bank and finance products (marketing in retail banking, social media, multi-channel marketing)
• Business models in online banking
  
  

Capital markets

• Bank and financial market regulation
• Pricing on capital markets
• Risk management and derivates
  
  

Entrepreneurial success control

• Strategic and operational success control in companies
• Success measurement and control in companies
  
  

Entrepreneurial financing decisions

• Corporate financing and evaluation
• Financing problems within the supply chain
  
  

As examples for the above-named major research focus, two projects should be explained in further detail.

Attitudes towards banks and media behaviour of the "Russian Community" in Germany
The item examined is the use of special bank services by Russians and German Russians in Germany. The attitude towards or perception of Russian banks by Russians resident in Germany as well as their knowledge and use of banking services is especially important. It is important for online banks to know how the customers use new media, which is why the overall media use by the Russian community was ascertained too. Trained interviewers conducted the telephone interviews for data collection in Russian. The results not yet published so far also show that, contrary to the original expectations, there are no reservations in the Russian community in Germany against Russian banks which are active in Germany. 

Usability check of the Internet presentations of retail banks
For this project which was initiated in 2011, the homepage of a practice partner (online bank) is examined with regard to the improvement of user friendliness and conversion rates.