Anne Richter – författare

Rooted in the author's firsthand experience as an East German who bore witness to the fall of the Berlin Wall at the age of sixteen, Distant Signs explores the complexity of familial bonds, love, and life behind and beyond the iron curtain.

Against the backdrop of seismic political upheaval in 1960s East Germany Margret, a professor's daughter hailing from the city, and Hans, a man rooted in a tranquil Thuringian forest village are embroiled in a family saga. Their love story is colored by the clash of their disparate origins and the lingering emotional wounds inflicted by a war-torn childhood. As historical events play out, the secrets of two families are revealed.

Anne Richter's exquisite prose translated from German by Douglas Irving, paints a vivid portrait of a society marked by change while paying homage to the quiet strength that exists within the most trying of times.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Berlin, course: Research Methods, language: English, abstract: On the 1st of January 2008, the latest anti-smoking law was introduced in eight German states – and Berlin was one of them. Lower Saxony, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen have introduced this law already in 2007 whereas the remaining five states will follow over this year. By restricting indoor smoking in public buildings, workplaces and in all restaurants and bars, the German government aims not only to protect non-smokers against the harmful effects of passive smoking but also to help smokers to give up. But from the economic point of view, especially the German restaurant industry complains that many businesses now witness lower profits and especially restaurants that are not in a position to have a separate smokers section are particularly hard hit. As a result, the latest smoking ban is still a heavily discussed topic, not only among German smokers but also among the whole German population. To get an impression whether this smoking ban really affects the restaurant behaviour, the authors of this assignment conducted a telephone survey among Berlin citizens. And the results are someway surprising. Chapter two clarifies the theoretical framework of developing and conducting telephone surveys by stating guidelines that have to be followed, describing the telephone survey process and mentioning general advantages and disadvantages of this primary research method. The main part of this assignment – chapter three – spotlights the whole research process on the basis of a practical example. Here, the telephone survey about the impact of the German anti-smoking law on the restaurant behaviour of the Berlin people is developed, conducted and evaluated. Finally, based on the own experiences of the authors, chapter four includes some errors that may occur within a telephone survey and adds experiences the researchers have made with the telephone survey method.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2008 in the subject Leadership and Human Resources - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Berlin, course: Human Resource Management , language: English, abstract: ‘Trust permits risk, which permits change, which permits growth.’You know when you have trust; you know when you don’t have trust. Trust is built and maintained by many small actions over time. In the business environment, trust is also warned, over time, through day-to-day actions making the right choices even in difficult situations. There is a human need to trust and respect the leaders into whose hands we deliver ourselves. Trust forms the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, and employee motivation and contribution of discretionary energy, the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work. When trust exists in a company or in a relationship, almost everything else is easier and more comfortable to achieve. A manager will not get top performance out of any employee who does not trust him. Without the employees'' trust managers will not get thatspark of creativity from them that is so important. Employees will not innovate that one little idea that could have kept a company ahead of its competitor.Yet, even in a company in which trust is a priority, things happen daily that can injure trust. Trust is the crucial ingredient of organisational effectiveness.Building it, maintaining it, and restoring it when it is damaged must be at the top of every manager’s agenda. Trust is not a matter of technique, but of character; managers are trusted because of their way of being, not because of their polished exteriors or their expertly crafted communications. Gaining employees trust is about telling the truth, even when it is difficult, and being truthful, authentic. Of course, there are no fixed rules of how to gain trust from your employees.But there are some easy but important guidelines that help managers creating a business environment where trust has the chance to build and maintain.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2007 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Berlin, course: General Economics, language: English, abstract: Oil prices are an important determinant of global economic performance. Crude Oil prices ranged between $2.50/bbl and $3.00/bbl from 1948 through the end of the 1960s. As of this day, the price for crude oil is $89.82/bbl. In general, spikes in oil prices are not unusual and are, to some extent, symptomatic of a gradual upward trend in daily oil price volatility. Volatile prices arise from supply and demand that are both highly inelastic in the short run, with the result that even small shocks can have large effects on price. But especially within the last few years, the oil price has continuously increased sharply – and to some extent unexpected. This recent sharp increase in the oil price prompts several questions: Why have oil prices risen? What is the impact on the global economy and on individual countries? How do oil importing countries cope with the higher prices? What are appropriate policy responses to stabilise the economy in face of high oil prices? And last but not least, what role does the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries really play? To begin with, there is no doubt that the recent increase in oil price is mainly demand driven, combined with historically low excess capacity and heightened concerns about supply disruptions. And even without macroeconomic knowledge, everyone is aware that higher oil prices affect the economy as a whole and all its market participants. In the following, this paper analyses in detail the current main oil price drivers, their economic consequences and the possible policy responses - always framed by the volatility and uncertainty that characterise the oil market.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 1,7, University of Applied Sciences Berlin, course: International Business Strategy, language: English, abstract: Over the past 30 years, there were two main vehicles through which companies have globalised: international strategic alliances and cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions (M&As).Both vehicles are instruments used by companies to increase their global reach and competitiveness. In the new economy, alliances and M&As seem to be the normal way of doing business. Although strategic alliances and M&As are not a recent phenomena, their pace of growth and the variety of their forms has been increasing.When dealing with strategic alliances and M&As, four main questions arise:What are the drivers of strategic alliances and M&As? Which sources of success and failure offer these two growth vehicles? Are there specific determinants that are decisive in the process of establishing a strategic alliance or doing a merger or acquisition? And why do so many M&A fail?To answer these questions chapter 1 deals with the rationale for strategic alliances and M&As by outlining key points of the past development. Chapter two clarifies the different types of international alliances and their advantages and disadvantages. It also describes success criteria being important forforming strategic alliances by clarifying the major steps in analysing strategic alliances. To combine theory and praxis, chapter three ends with a short case study about the Renault-Nissan Alliance stating the key success factors. The chapter three is about cross-border M&As by focussing on their the two phases – the pre-acquisition phase and the post-acquisition phase. It describes how companies should decide, give value and negotiate the deal and underlines important managerial processes involved in the integration of the merged company. By analysing the reasons for M&A failures, this chapter underlines the importance of integration for the M&A deal. A short case study of an important acquisition in the banking sector completes chapter 3. Finally chapter 4 summarises the main results.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2007 in the subject Leadership and Human Resources - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,3, University of Applied Sciences Berlin, course: Human Resource Management, language: English, abstract: To meet business challenges today and tomorrow, companies must maximise the potential of their workforce while increasing efficiency. In a highly competitive business environment, companies can differentiate themselves through their employees. Employees understanding the business carry out operations, mitigate risk, and build strong brands. Today, there is much more concentration and focus on the strategic outcomes of human resource activity than ever before. The area of compensation is no exception. Compensation can be used to recruit and retain qualified employees, to increase or maintain morale / satisfaction, reward and encourage peak performance, achieve internal and external equity, reduce turnover and encourage company loyalty.As a result, pay-for-performance systems using variable pay components are becoming more and more popular to reward for exceptional job performance. There is far more interest in more closely linking the reward mechanisms to the achievement of corporate objectives. Performance pay as one component in the total employee compensation can be assessed based on individual or team contribution, on business unit results or a corporate profit or share price. It can be rewarded through traditional salary adjustments but also through variable pay techniques such as lump-sum bonuses or stock options. There are no standard schemes or rules on how and to what volume a company should integrate variable pay into its total compensation systems. It not only depends on what the company focuses on but also on the company’s employees, their attitude to work and to the company as a whole. But employers should have in mind that a compensation plan that fails to motivate employees can stagnate a company as fast as any other factor.

"Drei Charaktere, zwei Gesellschaftssysteme, die Liebe als Irrgarten:ein betörender Roman über die Suche nach dem Absoluten in einer Zeit ohne Utopie."Michael Wildenhain Im Oktober 1988 trifft Marc Weber in Jena ein, wo er sein Studium der Mathematik beginnen will. Unverhofft gerät er in oppositionelle Kreise und begegnet Paul, der ebenfalls Mathematik studierte, aufgrund seiner widerständigen politischen Haltung exmatrikuliert wurde und verbotene Konzerte gibt. Die Freundschaft mit Paul bringt den bislang eher angepassten Marc in existentielle Konflikte. Aber er lernt durch Paul auch Hanka kennen, seine erste große Liebe. Dann kommt der politische Umbruch, er treibt die drei in verschiedene Richtungen: Hanka geht auf Weltreise, Paul nimmt in Hamburg sein Studium wieder auf, Marc bleibt in Jena. Als er Paul einige Zeit darauf in Hamburg besucht, scheint es, als habe sich der ehemalige Oppositionelle ‒ nun anerkannter Mathematiker und mit einer ebenso erfolgreichen Frau zusammenlebend ‒ in einem bürgerlichen Leben eingerichtet. Zufällig entdeckt Marc jedoch, dass Paul weiterhin komponiert, und es wird ihm klar, dass der Freund voller Zweifel an seinem etablierten Leben ist. Marc fragt sich, wie viel von Pauls rebellischem Geist noch übrig ist und fordert ihn her­aus, indem er Paul und seine Freundin einlädt, im Sommer mit ihm und Hanka nach Rumänien zu kommen, in ein Land im Übergang, in dem sich noch vorhandene Spuren der Diktatur mit neuen kapitalistischen Ansätzen mischen. Ihre gemeinsame Reise verläuft dann ganz anders als geplant, sie führt zu großen Spannungen und treibt am Ende einen Keil zwischen Marc, Paul und Hanka. Jahre später erhält Marc, inzwischen arrivierter Banker und Risikomanager, einen Anruf von Paul, der nun wieder allein und in prekären Verhältnissen lebt. Seine Arbeit als Mathematiker hat er aufgegeben. Währenddessen schreitet die Finanzkrise unaufhörlich voran und die beiden begegnen sich unter vollkommen veränderten Vorzeichen. Nur Hanka spielt in beider Leben immer noch eine Rolle.

DDR, 1952. Noch immer kämpfen die Menschen mit ihren Erinnerungen an den Zweiten Weltkrieg. Sie sehnen sich nach einer friedlichen Gesellschaft. Den sowjetischen Besatzern stehen sie unterschiedlich gegenüber, manche offen, viele ablehnend. Dennoch ist Hinrich Matuschek nicht der Einzige, der daran glaubt, dass hier eine ganz neue Gesellschaft entsteht, und der mithelfen möchte, sie zu gestalten. Die Blindenschule braucht Lehrer wie ihn, gerade jetzt, da sie zum ersten Mal Schüler zum Abitur führen will. Doch dann kommt seine Klasse auf die Idee, Rundfunksendungen zu machen, ausgerechnet in dem Moment, wo das Radio zentralisiert wird. Hinrich Matuschek, der Erfahrung im Funken hat, unterstützt sie dabei. Schon sein Vater hat die Geburtsstunde des deutschen Rundfunks miterlebt, in einer Zeit, in der es eigentlich verboten war, ein Empfangsgerät zu besitzen. Nun tritt der Sohn in seine Fußstapfen. Wie wird sich das Experiment entwickeln? Die Ereignisse des 17. Juni 1953 stürzen das Land schließlich in einen Ausnahmezustand. Dabei spielt auch der Rundfunk eine kaum zu unterschätzende, ambivalente Rolle. Gemeinsam mit Marianne, die für ihn mehr ist als eine Kollegin, versucht Hinrich, sich in den Wirren dieser aufwühlenden Tage zurechtzufinden. Wie wird alles ausgehen?Ein Roman über junge Sehbehinderte, ihre Begeisterung und besonderen Fähigkeiten, über politische Kämpfe und die Utopie einer freien Meinungsäußerung. Ein Roman, der sich einem traditionellen Medium widmet, seinen Möglichkeiten und Beschränkungen, und der zugleich hochaktuell ist.