• Thesis Topic

  We are particularly looking for applicants interested in our research agenda which constantly evolves. Once you have applied, we will discuss the topics you are interested in in more detail. You do not need to work out a topic exposé before you apply.

  Previous Bachelor thesis topics include work on entrepreneurship, corporate entrepreneurship, innovation, digitalization, behavioral biases, top management teams, personality, motivation, M&A, alliances, sustainability, leadership, learning, Digital Health.

  We also regularly offer bachelor theses in cooperation with start-ups from the REACH Euregio Start-up Center. If you are interested in this, please indicate this in your application. We will then put you in touch with the start-ups (depending on availability).

• Indicative Bachelor Thesis Topics 

  In the coming semesters we will supervise bachelor theses with the following indicative titles and descriptions. The list is not exhaustive and serves only as an orientation as to what kind of topics you can work on.

  1. "Identifying robust causal inferences in empirical management research using statistical techniques and robustness tests"

  Empirical researchers aim to find causal inferences – to what extent does a presumed cause lead to an effect or outcome. In entrepreneurship and innovation, empirical research is often conducted using secondary data. This data is usually cost-effective, instantly available, and sometimes the only viable option for specific research settings. An example may be: To what extent does spending in research and development (R&D) increase the likelihood of new product development in the upcoming years. However, data on R&D spending is not available for all firms since its reporting may be optional for the management of a firm. This may hinder empirical research because crucial observations may be missing causing a selection bias and getting the causation wrong – endogeneity – distorts the results. By identifying and applying statistical techniques and robustness tests in Stata, the validity of an empirical study can be significantly improved, e.g., the Heckman 2-stage estimation, control function, and impact threshold of a confounding variable ITCV.

  Keywords: Heckman, Statistical Methods, Inference, Robustness

  2. "Identifying top management team characteristics that affect green external venturing activity"

  According to the upper echelon perspective, the experience of top management team (TMT) members shapes their views and ultimately their decision-making. Are their certain TMT characteristics that foster green external corporate venturing acticity (i.e. green M&A, green CVC, green alliances)?

  Keywords: TMT, Upper echelon theory, Corporate venturing, Green M&A, Green CVC, Green alliances

  3. "Innovation as Big Tech’s winning formula – Are the FAANG companies better than the old economy in innovating?"

  The 2010s have seen the tremendous rise of technology companies in economic importance and stock prices. Five companies – namely Facebook (Meta), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google (Alphabet) are particularly prominent and said to dominate their markets. How come? A recent stream of literature investigates the role of innovation for those companies’ success. This thesis aims to advance recent literature by comparing Big Tech’s innovation activity to that of the old economy. How do their innovations differ? Do Big Tech companies bring more radical innovations and breakthroughs to the market? This thesis aims at addressing those questions empirically building upon existing data and approaches.

  Keywords: Innovation, Technology, Digitalization, Firm Performance

  4. "Digital Health and Innovation in healthcare"

  The digitalisation of healthcare has been one of the main drivers of innovation in the healthcare sector, and not just since the Corona pandemic. An increasing number of digital solutions are in development or are being introduced into the German health market under the term Digital Health Application (DiGa). In the context of these developments, we examine the role of start-ups and established companies in this development. Further research questions are the origin of innovations and their penetration in the market. Which go-to-market strategies exist and which of them are suitable for start-up-related innovations. The starting point for these studies is a broad quantitative database, which we are constantly expanding. See Research Group – Digital Ecosystems for further information.

  Keywords: eHealth, mHealth, Digital Health, Telemedicine, MedTech, Artificial Intelligence, Entrepreneurship, Medical Entrepreneurship, Health Care Entrepreneurship, Physician Entrepreneurs

  5. "Hit or hype? Digital technologies shaking up today's economic landscape"

  Digital transformation is shaking up the value chains of companies in all industries. An unprecedented number of new technologies are entering the market, e.g. artificial intelligence or blockchain. The impact of these technologies on our economy today, but also on social life in general, needs to be explored intensively. Theses in this area investigate these interrelationships with different methodological approaches, e.g. literature reviews, surveys, secondary data analysis.

  Keywords: Digital Technology, Digital Transformation, Firm Performance

  6. "The Significance of Solid-State Battery Technology for Sustainable Energy Storage”

  Sustainability and advancements in energy storage technologies are of great importance in today's world. In line with this trend, we aim to further advance research that will focus on solid-state battery technology. The objective of this research project is to conduct a comprehensive literature review and empirical data analysis to examine the current state of solid-state battery technology in terms of its performance, challenges, application areas, and potential benefits. Additionally, the study will collect relevant data on customer perspectives, market trends, and environmental impact.

  Keywords: sustainability, energy storage technologies, solid state battery technology, literature review, empirical data analysis

  7. "Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship Research"

  In the field of entrepreneurship research, various research methodologies are employed to meticulously examine the phenomenon of entrepreneurship. The objective of your bachelor's thesis is to identify and analyze prevalent methods, databases, and theoretical frameworks, subsequently providing an exemplary approach for future investigations.

  Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Research methodologies, Databases, Theoretical frameworks

  8. "The relationship between green manufacturing and innovation - A systematic literature review"

  Sustainability is not only becoming increasingly important for companies, but it also represents an exciting area of research. We aim to further advance findings by specifically focus on green manufacturing and its impact on innovation. This thesis aims to address how current research findings on green manufacturing can be systematized. Therefore, an extensive literature review will be conducted, and its findings will be used to develop a conceptual framework.

  Keywords: Green manufacturing, sustainability, innovation performance, systematic literature review

  9. "Differentiating technologies for dealing with climate change - A systematic literature review"

  As the world confronts the escalating challenges of climate change, climate change adaptation and adoption technologies are coming into the spotlight. We want to understand the focus of companies in their development efforts and how research has addressed the topic in the past. In this paper, a systematic literature review according to Tranfield (2003) is carried out to examine the two types of technology in more detail. Hereby, the analysis focuses on the patent class Y02. The evaluation of the current research landscape will thus help to understand the respective focal points and identify possible research gaps.

  Keywords: Climate change, patents, systematic literature review

  10. "Business models for battery pack recycling"

  The industrial landscape for the recycling of traction batteries is currently reshaping itself. In addition to the traditional recyclers, many other players, such as automotive companies, are also getting involved. This is resulting in various possible business models along the recycling chain for traction batteries. In addition to the depth of added value of the individual players, the ownership structure of the valuable raw materials also plays a key role. As part of the thesis, a systematic literature review will be conducted to identify which business models are already established today. In addition, expert interviews with the various players will be conducted to find out which business models could develop in the future. 

  Keywords: recycling, traction batteries, systematic literature analysis

  11. "Mapping Refugee Entrepreneurship in Germany: A Focus on Ukrainian Refugees and Supporting Organizations"

  As migration to Germany remains on an elevated level, it is increasingly important to understand the entrepreneurship landscape among refugees, especially Ukrainian refugees. This thesis will delve into the entrepreneurial activities undertaken by Ukrainian refugees and examine the organizations and initiatives dedicated to their support and organization. By identifying key challenges and opportunities, this study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the support systems available to these entrepreneurs. The research will blend a review of existing literature with empirical data analysis to map the current state of refugee entrepreneurship in various industries and regions across Germany. This analysis will also explore how refugee entrepreneurs are integrated into the local economy and the role of supporting organizations in influencing their success or failure.

  Keywords: Refugee Entrepreneurship, Ukrainian Refugees, Support Organizations, Economic Integration, Empirical Data Analysis, Policy Impact

• Practitioner Theses

  We also welcome and encourage collaborations with practitioners to write your thesis (e.g., startups, corporates, non-profit organizations). In general, it is your responsibility to find a collaboration partner. From time to time, we will publish cooperation opportunities on our Jobs website.

  Currently there is the possibility to write theses at Durante Adesivi in Italy or the St. Franziskus Foundation. In addition, there is the possibility to write theses at the Fraunhofer Forschungsfertigung Batteriezelle (FFB). If you are interested, please contact Maximilian Charlet.

  Please apply to our chair before you commit to the partner to discuss whether your proposed topic is a good fit for our chair (see below for details on the application process). In your application, you will be asked to include the contact details of your contact within the partner organization. The final topic will be determined by the chair in consultation with the contact person.

  You need to ensure that the partner agrees to make the data used in your thesis available to the academic supervisor and the head of the chair for the purpose of the examination.

  Pursuant to the regulations governing examinations, the practice partner has no right to participate in the evaluation of the thesis. Other contractual agreements between the student and the company do not affect the regulations governing examinations set by the examination office and are solely in the candidate’s scope of responsibility.

• Formal Requirements

  Bachelor theses can be written in English or German. Detailed guidelines, especially with regard to the layout, will be provided in time once you are accepted.

  To start your thesis, you need to fill in the candidate section of the guide card (“Leitkarte”) which you can find here. The writing period starts once the topic is assigned. You can calculate the exact start and submission dates for your specific circumstances in the online calculator here.

  If you want to make use of the extended deadline to write your Bachelor thesis, please complete and submit the form “Antrag auf studienbegleitende Bachelorarbeit” which you can find for download here.

• Final Submission

  You must submit your Bachelor's thesis no later than the date specified in the routing card.

  From Q1 2023, please only use the digital option of the Thesis Uploader for submission. Physical printing is no longer necessary.

  The declaration of consent for plagiarism checking ("Declaration of consent to check my thesis with plagiarism detection software") can be downloaded  here and must be attached to the bound copies at the end of the Master's thesis and signed. 

  The declaration of authorship must also be included and signed in the bound copies at the end of the Bachelor's thesis. The declaration of authorship must also be included and signed at the end of the Bachelor's thesis.

• Application to the Institute for Entrepreneurship

  Before you register at the examination office, please apply by completing the following survey. Note that you will be asked to upload a CV and current transcript of records. We will not consider applications if these two documents are missing.

  Link

• Registration with the Examination Office

  Registration for Bachelor theses in management is done via the examination office of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Münster. The registration dates can be found on the Examination Office’s website.

Do you have any questions? Our contact person for theses at the Institute for Entrepreneurship Maximilian Charlet will help you.