Essays on innovation and communication

The dissertation has been written within the post graduate program of the German Research Foundation (DFG) on “Business Aspects of Loosely Coupled Systems and Electronic Business”. This program focuses on research related to the diffusion of innovations in the digital age. Accordingly, the six research papers collectively represent three connected areas of this program: the diffusion of innovations, eCommerce and Digital Media, and Communication. As ever more innovations are introduced in an increasingly global economy, insights on the influence of marketing policies on the international diffusion of innovations may help to improve their launch (Papers A1 and A2). Simultaneously, the diffusion of the internet and mobile devices are changing the way firms and consumers conduct their business. The papers B1 and B2 investigate how the advent of eCommerce may change the retailing landscape. The new media also expand the range of media through which firms and consumers communicate with each other. Accordingly, paper C1 shows how managers may analyze differential diminishing returns in a dynamic multimedia context. The last paper C2 shows how managers can analyze and optimize the design of direct mailings to improve their effectiveness.