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Technische Universität München
Technische Universität München

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Vera Bitsch

Forschungsgebiete von Prof. Bitsch liegen im Bereich von Agrarökonomie und Management. Sie forscht vorwiegend mit qualitativen Forschungsansätzen, wo sie auch in der Methodenentwicklung und im Promotionskolleg Agrarökonomik tätig ist. 

Prof. Bitsch studierte Gartenbauwissenschaften an der Leibniz Universität Hannover. Für ihre Promotion analysierte sie Erfolgskennzahlen im Gartenbau. Während ihrer Habilitation forschte Prof. Bitsch über Aufgaben der Unternehmensführung, einschließlich strategisches Management und Personalführung sowie Arbeitszufriedenheit und Motivation. Ihre Habilitationsschrift zur qualitativen Forschung in der angewandten Ökonomie trug wesentlich zur Weiterentwicklung der Methodendiskussion in diesem Bereich bei. Im Jahr 2000 nahm Prof. Bitsch den Ruf an die Michigan State University in den U.S.A. an. Dort konzentrierte sie sich auf Human Ressource Management in der Landwirtschaft für Forschung, Lehre und Beratung. Ihr Beratungsprogramm wurde 2008 von der Agricultural & Applied Economics Association ausgezeichnet. In 2010 nahm sie den Ruf als Ordinaria des Lehrstuhls Ökonomik des Gartenbaus und Landschaftsbaus an der TUM an. Zu Prof. Bitschs zahlreichen Auszeichnungen zählt die Ehrendoktorwürde der Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences 2018 und der Fellow Award der International Food and Agribusiness Management Association 2020. Zu ihren zahlreichen Beiträgen zum Berufsstand und der weiteren Öffentlichkeit gehören die Präsidentschaft der Deutsch Gartenbauwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft (DGG), 2019-2021 und die Mitgliedschaft in der Zukunftskommission Landwirtschaft von Bundeskanzlerin Dr. Merkel (2020-2021), wo sie auch als Co-Koordinatorin der Arbeitsgruppe Ökonomie fungierte.

Aktuelle Forschungsschwerpunkte

  • Nachhaltigkeit, besonders soziale Nachhaltigkeit, Messung und Bewertung in der Wertschöpfungskette
  • Human Ressource Management
  • Strategisches Management und institutionelle Entwicklungen
  • Unternehmensführung und Organisation
  • Qualitative Forschungsansätze und Fallstudien

Ausgewählte Publikationen

  • Braun, C.L., Bitsch, V. & Häring, A.M. (2023). Creating spaces for change: Boundary work in emerging agri-food value chains. Journal of Cleaner Production 424, online. doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138821
  • Sadeghi-Esfahlani, T.A. & Bitsch, V. (2023). Conventional food retailers’ communication on sustainability on LinkedIn: Analysis of selected German supermarkets and discounters. Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2023, 95-100. doi.org/10.18461/pfsd.2023.2308
  • Rombach, M., Dean, D.L. & Bitsch, V. (2023). "Got milk alternatives?" Understanding key factors determining U.S. consumers’ willingness to pay for plant-based milk alternatives. Foods 12 (6), 1277. doi.org/10.3390/foods12061277
  • Gabriel, A. & Bitsch, V. (2023). Everywhere the same? Competitiveness of two regional vegetable production clusters in Southern Germany. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 26 (1) 139-157. https://doi.org/10.22434/IFAMR2021.0119
  • Braun, C.L., Bitsch, V. & Häring, A.M. (2023). Developing agri-food value chains: Learning systems between exploration and exploitation. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 29 (4), 417-438. doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2022.2082499
  • Braun, C.L., Bitsch, V. & Häring, A.M. (2022). Behind the scenes of a learning agri-food value chain: lessons from action research. Agriculture and Human Values 39, 119-134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-021-10229-7
  • Wagner, C., Mair, S. & Bitsch, V. (2022). Mindsets in intra-familial farm transfer: Successful successor and predecessor prototypes. International Journal on Food System Dynamics 13 (2), 143-164. https://doi.org/10.18461/ijfsd.v13i2.B3
  • Gabriel, A., Rombach, M., Wieser, H., & Bitsch, V. (2021). Got waste: knowledge, behavior and self-assessment on food waste of university students in Germany. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 24 (6) 951-970. https://doi.org/10.22434/IFAMR2020.0145
  • Havardi-Burger, N., Mempel, H., & Bitsch, V. (2021). Framework for sustainability assessment of the value chain of flowering potted plants for the German market. Journal of Cleaner Production 329, 129684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129684
  • Gabriel, A., Rombach, M., Wieser, H., & Bitsch, V. (2021). Got waste: knowledge, behavior and self-assessment on food waste of university students in Germany. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 24 (6) 951-970. https://doi.org/10.22434/IFAMR2020.0145
  • Rombach, M., Dean, D.L., Widmer, N.J.O. & Bitsch, V. 2021. „Oh, you shouldn’t have!” Understanding key factors impacting cut flowers gifting preferences in Germany. Horticulturae 7 (10), 368. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7100368
  • Rombach, M., Dean, D.L., Widmer, N.J.O. & Bitsch, V. 2021. Connected consumerism: Understanding fair trade cut flower purchase behavior in Germany. Sustainability 13 (21), 12133 (November). https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112133
  • Havardi-Burger, N., Mempel, H., & Bitsch, V. (2020). Driving forces and characteristics of the value chain of flowering potted plants for the German market. European Journal of Horticultural Science 85 (4), 267-278. https://doi.org/10.17660/eJHS.2020/85.4.8
  • Goisser, S., Mempel, H. & Bitsch, V. (2020). Food scanners as a radical innovation in German fresh produce supply chains. International Journal on Food System Dynamics 11 (2), 101-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.18461/ijfsd.v11i2.43
  • Rombach, M., Paul, S.E., Niedermann, L.F. & Bitsch, V. (2020). Peppers & More: A teaching case in organizational behavior. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. https://doi.org/10.22434/IFAMR2020.0010
  • Havardi-Burger, N., Mempel, H., & Bitsch, V. (2020). Sustainability Challenges and Innovations in the Value Chain of Flowering Potted Plants for the German Market. Sustainability 12 (5), 1905. doi.org/10.3390/su12051905
  • Sedlmeier, R., Rombach, M. & Bitsch, V. (2019). Making food rescue your business. Case studies in Germany. Sustainability 11 (18), 5101 doi.org/10.3390/su11185101
  • Rombach, M., Köhl, L. & Bitsch, V. (2019). Multi-layer Agency Problems in a Non-profit and For-profit Collaboration: A Case Study of a Delicatessen Product in Support of a Minority. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 22 (5), 747-765. doi.org/10.22434/IFAMR2019.0014
  • King, R., Rombach, M., & Bitsch, V. (2019). Inclusion in German Horticulture. Acta Horticulturae 1242, 955-960 doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1242.140
  • Goisser, S., Mempel, H. & Bitsch, V. (2019). Potential applications of food-scanners in fruit and vegetable supply chains and possible consequences for the German market. Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2019, 173-81. doi.org/10.18461/pfsd.2019.1917
  • Villnow, V., Rombach, M., & Bitsch, V. (2019). Examining German media coverage of the re-evaluation of glyphosate. Sustainability 11 (7), 1910. doi.org/10.3390/su11071910
  • Carlson, L. A. & Bitsch, V. (2019). Applicability of Transaction Cost Economics to Understanding Organizational Structures in Solidarity-Based Food Systems in Germany. Sustainability 11 (4), 1095. doi.org/10.3390/su11041095
  • Rombach, M., Widmar, N. O., Byrd, E. S., & Bitsch, V. (2018). Understanding preferences of German flower consumers: the desire for sustained beauty. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 46 (6), 560-576. doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-10-2017-0229
  • Mair, S. & Bitsch, V. (2018). Succession in horticultural family businesses: The role of socialization and communication. International Journal on Food System Dynamics 9 (3), 279-288. doi.org/10.18461/ijfsd.v9i3.936
  • Porsch, A., Gandorfer, M., & Bitsch V. (2018). Strategies to manage hail risk in apple production. Agricultural Finance Review. doi.org/10.1108/AFR-07-2017-0062
  • Braun, C. L., Rombach, M., Bitsch, V. & Häring A.M. (2018). Structures and actors of the organic vegetable value chain for school catering: a case study of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region. Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2018, 133-142. doi.org/10.18461/pfsd.2018.1810
  • Carlson, L. & Bitsch, V. (2018). Solidarity: a key element in alternative food networks. Proceedings in System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks 2018, 261-270. doi.org/10.18461/pfsd.2018.1819
  • Kizil, M., Rombach, M. & Bitsch, V. (2018). Innovationspotenziale der Bundesgartenschau: Entwicklung eines Evaluationsmodelles. DGG-Proceedings 7 (12), No 15. doi: 10.5288/dgg-pr-mk-2017 (published December 2018)
  • Havardi-Burger, N., Mempel, H., & Bitsch, V. (2017). Supply chain of bedding plants and pot plants in Germany. DGG-Proceedings 7 (12) Osnabrück, Germany. www.dgg-online.org/.../dgg-pr-nb-2017.pdf
  • Gabriel, A., & Bitsch, V. (2018). Innovative Agrarpolitik: Weiterentwicklung der zweiten Säule der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik nach 2020 zur Erleichterung des Generationenwechsels und der Betriebsnachfolge. In: Innovative Agrarpolitik nach 2020. Schriftenreihe der Rentenbank, Band 34, 75-100. Frankfurt (Germany), Edmund Rehwinkel-Stiftung der Landwirtschaftlichen Rentenbank. www.rentenbank.de/.../Band-34-Innovative-Agrarpolitik-nach-2020.pdf
  • Rombach, M., Kang, E., & Bitsch, V. (2018). Good deeds revisited: motivation and boundary spanning in formal volunteering. International Review of Public and Nonprofit Marketing 15 (1), 105-126. doi:10.1007/s12208-018-0193-7
  • Gabriel, A., & Bitsch, V. (2018). Impacts of Succession in Family Business - A Systemic Approach for Understanding Dynamic Effects in Horticultural Retail Companies in Germany. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 26 (3), 304-324. doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-01-2018-0030
  • Rombach, M., Widmar, N. O., Byrd, E., & Bitsch, V. (2018). Do all roses smell equally sweet? Willingness to pay for flower attributes in specialized retail settings by German consumers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 40 (January), 91-99. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.09.007
  • Rombach, M., & Bitsch, V. (2017). Sector blending: evidence from the German Food Bank. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 21 (2), 181-200. doi:10.22434/IFAMR2017.0064
  • Hermsdorf, D., Rombach, M., &  Bitsch, V. (2017). Food waste reduction practices in German food retail. British Food Journal 119 (12),  2532-2546. doi:10.1108/BFJ-06-2017-0338
  • Gandorfer, M., Porsch, A., & Bitsch, V. (2017). Producer price volatility in the German fruit and vegetable industry. European Journal of Horticultural Science 82 (3), 149-154. doi:10.17660/eJHS.2017/82.3.5
  • Bitsch, V., Mair, S., Borucinska, M., & Schettler, C. A. (2017). Introduction of a Nationwide Minimum Wage: Challenges to Agribusinesses in Germany. Economia Agro-alimentare/Food Economy 19 (1), 13-34. doi:10.3280/ECAG2017-001002, Abstract
  • Alpmann, J., & Bitsch, V. (2017). Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict: The Case of the German Milk Conflict. Food Policy 16, 62-72. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.12.002
  • Gabriel, A., Bitsch, V., & Menrad, K. (2017). Feasibility-Oriented Application of System Analysis in SMEs-The Cybernetic Approach of VSM Applied to Horticultural Retail Companies in Germany. Systemic Practice and Action Research 30 (2), 145-172. doi:10.1007/s11213-016-9388-1
  • Bitsch, V. (2016). Sustainability as Innovation: Challenges and Perspectives in Measurement and Implementation. In C. Huyghe, P. Bergeret, & U. Svedin (Eds.), Diffusion and transfer of knowledge in agriculture, Matière à débattre et décider (chap. 2). France: Quae. http://www.quae.com/fr/r5038-diffusion-and-transfer-of-knowledge-in-agriculture.html
  • Gabriel, A., Bitsch, V., & Menrad, K. (2016). Conceptual framework for system analysis of family-run agricultural SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship 28 (4), 325-344. doi:10.1080/08276331.2016.1205914
  • Alpmann, J., & Bitsch, V. (2015). Exit, Voice, and Loyalty in the Case of Farmer Associations: Decision-Making of Dairy Farmers during the German Milk Conflict. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 18 (4), 61-84. www.ifama.org/.../Alpmann-Bitsch.pdf
  • Rombach, M., & Bitsch, V. (2015). Food movements in Germany: Slow food, food sharing, and dumpster diving. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 18 (3), 1-24. https://www.ifama.org/resources/Documents/v18i3/Rombach-Bitsch.pdf
  • Bitsch, V. (2015). Herausforderungen nachhaltiger Wertschöpfungsketten im Gartenbau. In: W. Dirksmeyer, L. Theuvsen, & M. Kayser (Eds.), Aktuelle Forschung in der Gartenbauökonomie, Tagungsband zum 1. Symposium für Ökonomie im Gartenbau am 27. November 2013 in der Paulinerkirche Göttingen (pp. 1-21). Braunschweig, Germany: Thünen Report 22. go.tum.de/302591
  • Bitsch, V., Kokovic, N., & Rombach, M. (2015). Foodborne illness and media coverage: case study of the German E. coli outbreak in 2011. Acta Horticulturae 1103, 75-82. doi:10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1103.12
  • Bitsch, V., & Mittelberger, C. (2015). Eastern European seasonal employees in German horticulture: Role and recent developments in the context of the EU expansion. Acta Horticulturae 1099, 519-524. doi:10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1099.63
  • Bitsch, V., Kokovic, N., & Rombach, M. (2014). Risk communication and market effects during foodborne illnesses: A comparative case study of bacterial outbreaks in the U.S. and in Germany. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 17 (3), 97-114. www.ifama.org/.../V17Issue3BitschKokovicRombach.pdf
  • Alpmann, J., & Bitsch, V. (2013). Institutional Change in Germany’s Farmers Associations: Impacts of the Dairy Conflict. International Journal on Food System Dynamics, 4 (2) (November), 140-148. centmapress.ilb.uni-bonn.de/.../333
  • Bitsch, V., & Olynk, N. J. (2008). Risk-increasing and risk-reducing practices in human resource management: Focus group discussions with livestock managers. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 40 (April, 1), 185-201.
  • Bitsch, V., & Yakura, E. (2007). Middle management in agriculture: Roles, functions, and practices. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 10 (June, 2), 1-28.
  • Bitsch, V., & Olynk, N. J. (2007). Skills required of managers in livestock production: Evidence from focus group research. Review of Agricultural Economics 29 (Winter, 4), 749-64.
  • Bitsch, V. (2005). Qualitative research: A grounded theory example and evaluation criteria. Journal of Agribusiness 23 (Spring, 1), 75-91.
  • Bitsch, V., & Hogberg, M. (2005). Exploring horticultural employees’ attitudes towards their jobs: A qualitative analysis based on Herzberg’s theory of job satisfaction. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 37 (December, 3), 659-71.
  • Mugera, A. W., & Bitsch, V. (2005). Labor on dairy farms: A resource-based perspective with evidence from case studies. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 8 (July, 3), 79-98.
  • Bitsch, V. (2004). Focus group discussions as a research and extension method: The case of personnel management issues in horticultural businesses. Acta Horticulturae 655, 461-9.
  • Bitsch, V. (2001). Qualitative Forschung in der angewandten Ökonomie - Schwerpunkt: Landwirtschaft. Aachen Germany: Shaker Verlag. ISBN 3-8265-8737-5

  Link zur Publikationsliste

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