Master's theses at our chair are generally written as empirical studies and may cover various research focus areas, in particular strategic management, strategic innovation management, digital transformation, strategic sustainability management, and strategic success factors of young companies.

Below you will find a selection of possible topic proposals to serve as orientation. The topics can be developed further and specified in more detail depending on your interests and research question. You are also welcome to submit your own topic proposals.

Submitting topic proposals does not guarantee that one of the proposed topics will be assigned. During the first supervision meeting with your assigned supervisor, the topic proposals and their specific design will be discussed together.

Strategic Management

1. “Dynamic Capabilities and Firm Performance: A Contingency View”

The relationship between dynamic capabilities and firm performance is multifaceted. This thesis explores the contingency factors that moderate this relationship, examining how various internal and external conditions, such as market volatility and technological change, affect the effectiveness of dynamic capabilities in driving firm performance.

Keywords: Dynamic Capabilities, Environmental Dynamism, Contingency View

2. “Top Management Team Characteristics and Firm Outcomes: An Upper Echelons Perspective”

The composition and characteristics of top management teams significantly influence firm outcomes. This thesis investigates how various attributes of top management teams, such as diversity, experience, and cognitive styles, impact strategic decisions and firm-level outcomes like performance and strategic orientation.

Keywords: Top Management Teams, Upper Echelons Theory, Strategic Decisions

Strategic Sustainability Management

3. “When Sustainability Gets a Seat at the Table: Drivers of Chief Sustainability Officer Appointments”

This thesis examines the determinants of Chief Sustainability Officer appointments, focusing on strategic priorities, institutional pressures, corporate governance, or top management influence, to understand how sustainability is embedded in top-level decision-making.

Keywords: Chief Sustainability Officer, Top Management Teams, Institutional Theory, Strategy

4. “Determinants of Green Product Innovation: The Role of the Organizational Environment”

Green product innovation is critical for sustainable development. This thesis explores the determinants of green innovation, such as organizational culture, regulatory pressures, and market demand, and how the organizational environment moderates these relationships. The research aims to identify drivers or barriers in order to facilitate green innovation within firms.

Keywords: Green Product Innovation, Sustainability, Environmental Uncertainty

5. “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Advantage: A Quantitative Analysis”

CSR activities are increasingly important for modern businesses. This thesis quantitatively analyzes the impact of CSR on firm performance, considering various internal and external contingencies, such as industry type, firm size, and stakeholder expectations, to understand how CSR contributes to sustainable competitive advantage.

Keywords: CSR, Sustainability, Firm Performance, Quantitative Analysis

Digital Transformation

6. “Driving Digital Transformation: Strategic Management of Technology Adoption”

Successfully managing digital transformation requires strategic oversight. This thesis investigates how firms strategically manage the adoption of new technologies, such as AI and blockchain, to drive digital transformation. The study will explore factors like leadership traits, resource allocation, and organizational readiness.

Keywords: Digital Transformation, Technology Adoption, Strategic Management

7. “Artificial Intelligence in Firm Strategy: Opportunities and Challenges”

AI is transforming corporate strategies across industries. This thesis explores the strategic implications of AI adoption, focusing on the opportunities for enhancing efficiency and innovation, as well as the challenges related to adaption and workforce displacement. The goal is to provide strategic guidelines for successful AI integration.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Firm Strategy, Digital Transformation

Strategic Innovation Management

8. “Incumbents and Innovation: Strategic Drivers and Performance Outcomes”

Incumbent firms often struggle to achieve radical innovations. This thesis explores the strategic drivers that enable radical innovation, such as leadership traits, investment in R&D, and collaboration. The study aims to provide insights into overcoming innovation inertia.

Keywords: Radical Innovation, Incumbents, Strategic Drivers, Performance Outcomes

9. “Open Innovation Strategies: Managing Internal and External Contingencies”

Open innovation requires careful management of internal and external factors. This thesis explores how firms can strategically manage these contingencies, such as intellectual property concerns, cultural differences, and collaborative networks, to foster innovation and enhance competitive advantage.

Keywords: Open Innovation, Internal Contingencies, External Contingencies

Strategic Success Factors of Young Ventures

10. “Startup Team Characteristics for Funding Success”

One of the key elements that investors consider when assessing new ventures is the founding team. This thesis explores attributes of the founding team that drive funding success, such as diversity, previous experiences, and composition. The goal is to provide insights into how young venture teams can be set up for success.

Keywords: Young Ventures, Founding Teams, Funding Success

11. “Strategic drivers of young venture survival”

A large percentage of young ventures fails within the first three years. Identifying what helps young ventures survive is thus highly relevant for founding teams and investors. This thesis explores drivers of young venture survival, such as team characteristics, innovation activities, or investment type.

Keywords: Young Ventures, Survival, Innovation, Founding Team

12. “The impact of institutions on startup success”

Regulatory environment is a key determinant of company success, because it sets the boundaries for founders’ creative endeavors. Therefore, it is important for policymakers and founders alike to understand how institutions shape startup emergence, success, and survival. This thesis explores institutional determinants of young venture survival, such as presence, quality, and amount of regulation in a given market.

Keywords: Young Ventures, Innovation, Institutional Quality, Regulatory Gaps

If you have relevant contacts at a company, it is also possible to write a practice-oriented master's thesis in cooperation with that company. The application process is the same as for a regular master's thesis and takes place via our online form. All information on the application can be found in the corresponding section on this page.

We recommend first agreeing on a possible topic with the company and then submitting it as a topic proposal as part of your application. In the comment field of the application form, please indicate which company is involved and how far discussions with the company have already progressed.

If we are able to offer you a supervision slot, the student, the chair, and the company will jointly determine whether the requirements for a practice-oriented master's thesis are met. Final approval to proceed with the practice-oriented master's thesis is granted once all parties have reached agreement.

Under examination regulations, the practice partner has no say in the assessment of the thesis. Contractual agreements between students and companies are likewise irrelevant under examination law and fall solely within the students' own responsibility.

Before registering your thesis with the Examination Office, you must first apply at the chair. Applications are submitted via our online form and are possible within the application periods listed below.

Please note that the application periods at the chair differ from the registration periods at the Examination Office. You can find the respective deadlines in the following overview.

*Note for students registering via SAP: The registration quarters listed for the Examination Office are not relevant under examination law for registering the thesis in SAP. The application periods at the chair remain unaffected by this and must still be observed.

Once we have received your application, we will generally review it within ten working days. During this period, we kindly ask you to refrain from enquiring about the status of your application. In addition to the time of application, the selection process also takes into account how well the topic fits and which courses you have taken at the chair. As soon as we stop accepting further applications for a given quarter, we will announce this on this page.

Once your application has been accepted, the master's thesis is registered with the Examination Office online via FlexNow, SAP, QISPOS, or by form, depending on your degree programme and the date you began your studies. The specific registration process differs depending on the system used. All information on examination registration and the registration system designated for your degree programme can be found here.

An overview of the application process up to the collection appointment can be found here:

Theses can be written in English or German. You can find more detailed explanations on the formal requirements for theses on our download page.

The procedure for issuing the topic and the start of the processing period differ depending on your degree programme and the date you began your studies.

Issuing of the topic for students using FlexNow and QISPOS:

In the quarter in which the topic is issued, you submit the guidance card (Leitkarte) to your supervisor after the first supervision meeting. You will receive the completed guidance card stating the topic as well as the start and the legal end of the processing period on the day the processing period begins. The five-month processing period starts when the processing period begins.

Issuing of the topic for students using SAP:

Once you have received binding acceptance, submit an application via SAP. There, enter your proposed topics as well as your first examiner and confirm your entries. Shortly before your processing period begins, the first examiner reviews the registration, adjusts the final topic, and confirms it in SAP. After final approval by the Examination Office, the official processing period of your thesis begins. Following this approval, the five-month processing period starts.

Public holidays falling within the processing period are credited accordingly and added to it. Nevertheless, the submission date is decisive for the assignment to the respective quarter, regardless of any credited public holidays. Please take this into account when calculating your desired submission date. You can find the online calculator for determining your processing period here. If you wish to extend the processing period, for example due to illness, please inform your supervisor and submit an official application directly to the Examination Office.

Master's theses should be submitted digitally by the last day of the processing period at the latest. The deadline ends at 11:59 p.m. The declaration in lieu of an oath (eidesstattliche Erklärung) and the declaration of consent to the plagiarism check must be inserted at the end of the thesis (available for download from the Examination Office). For submission, School of Business and Economics (Fachbereich 04) provides an application, the Thesis Uploader, which must be used. In the case of empirical theses, the data sets and analysis code (e.g. the do-file in Stata) must also be uploaded via the Thesis Uploader in addition to the thesis itself. If the data cannot be transmitted this way due to size restrictions, please arrange with your supervisor at an early stage how the data can be submitted (e.g. via Sciebo).

A short guide and FAQ can be found here.