Exploring (anti-) counterfeiting management: Conceptual foundations and empirical examination

The research questions were examined in nine individual contributions. Research question 1 ("Brand and product piracy") was investigated in two papers. Paper 1 shows the relevant dimensions of counterfeiting. Paper 2 is a comprehensive examination of the basic academic literature, the reasons for the growth of the phenomenon and the resulting damages to improve the definition, systematization and evaluation of the topic. Research questions 2 ("anti-counterfeiting management", ACM) and 3 ("counterfeiting management", CM) are both conceptual and empirical topcis which are qualitatively and quantitatively processed. To answer research question 2, the cumulative dissertation provides four contributions. Paper 3 develops an ACM system. Paper 4 completes the ACM system by an extensive analysis of relevant protection instruments. Paper 5 develops a process-oriented perspective on ACM using the resource-based view of the firm and a qualitative content analysis of expert interviews. Paper 6 refines the model and examines ACM based on a configuration-oriented mixed-methods approach with content analysis, cluster analysis, and analysis of variance. Important elements are skills and competencies, strategies and instruments and the performance evaluation on the basis of questionnaire data. For answering research question 3, three contributions have been made. Paper 7 deals with the hitherto much-neglected area of ​​CM. The current state of the art in CM, types, strategies and tactical actions are described and enriched with expert knowledge. Paper 8 includes a management-oriented analysis of the latest CM issues based on a qualitative content analysis to identify strategies and instruments. In addition, a resource based assessment methodology for counterfeiters is developed. Paper 9 concludes the study of CM by identifying a taxonomy of counterfeiters with relevant CM configurations.