Overview of Thesis Announcements
At our department you can always choose from a variety of exciting and highly relevant topics from the areas of marketing and human resources management for your bachelor, master or student theses. Currently, we offer theses in the following areas:
1. Digital Marketing, Services Marketing, and Service Robotics
2. Digitalization and Innovation
3. Human Resource Management and Leadership
4. Future of Work
If you are interested in one of the announced topics, please send your CV and performance review to the supervisor of the thesis.
You can find the guidelines for writing the thesis at our chair in the download section on the right side or on the bottom of this page.
1. Digital Marketing, Services Marketing and Service Robotics

Roboethics – Review of 20 years of research
2022/07/27
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis
Robots get increasingly involved in human life. The rapid advancements in new technologies, such as service robots, confront people with new challenges and crucial ethical questions as well as problems for our society. Thus, ethical considerations in terms of a responsible, safe and trust-worthy human-robot interaction need to be considered soon. How can we ensure robotic ethical behavior? How can we design ethical robots? Can or should robots act in accordance with human morality?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Mona Kegel
Moral Psychology of Robotics – On the measurement of ethical/moral behaviors
2022/07/27
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis
As service robots are predicted to have a profound impact on our lives, ethical considerations in terms of their design, programming and behavior becomes critical. We want to scan the existing literature to get an overview over conceptualizations and operationalizations of ethical/moral behavior.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Mona Kegel
The Knobe Effect in Human-Robot Interactions – An investigation of intentionality attributions
2022/07/27
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis
Studies on human-human interactions have shown that moral evaluations can influence intentionality judgments. Against this background, we want to investigate the Knobe effect. The Knobe effect describes a human perception where the goodness or badness of an action influences peoples’ intentionality attributions asymmetrically; bad outcomes are judged as intentional, whereas good outcomes are judged as unintentional. Does such an asymmetry in the way we ascribe intentional actions exist in human-robot interactions?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Mona Kegel
Hello Mr. Robot, I would like to talk to you, but why don’t you understand me?
2022/07/21
Master thesis
Communication is a key factor for success in teams. Between humans, communication is both verbal (i.e., via words) as well as nonverbal (e.g., via facial expressions, body language). However, with the increasing use of digital assistants and robots in everyday work, the question arises whether people's communication behavior is changing. Do people communicate with robotic team members the same way they do with their human colleagues, or do they adopt their behavior?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Merlind Knof
Do we need morality in the service encounter? – Study on ethical aspects for marketing
2022/06/23
Master thesis
If you go to a specialist store in order to buy a complicated technical devise, you may be happy, if the store has an expert service employee who can help you with your purchase decision and give advice on the technical details. You will probably trust the service employee. But how do we know if the service employee has our best interest in mind? This leads us to the the topic of this thesis: The morality in the service encounter.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Mona Kegel
Understanding Haptic Emotions for Human-Robot Handshaking
2022/03/03
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
Handshaking as a synchronous haptic interaction that takes place between humans. A person’s characteristics and mood can additionally be displayed through this sense of touch. To enable a natural interaction with a robot, it is important for a robot to be able to sense the partner during handshaking and respond adequately in a synchronous manner. The aim of this thesis would be to explore and develop haptic emotional behaviours for Human-Robot Handshaking.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Vignesh Prasad
Deep Learning based Robotic Teleoperation
2022/01/04
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
One way to alleviate the need for teaching different robots individually is by using teleoperation. Typically, human demonstrations can be captured by skeleton tracking with VR or motion capture, which requires special hardware. Can the use of simple videos combined with deep learning and AI achieve similar results which can be generalized?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Vignesh Prasad
Communication in teams: Is nonverbal communication relevant to team performance?
2022/07/21
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis
As the world of work changes, many people are working remotely. This has severely limited communication options. Nevertheless, communication content could still be exchanged via voice or text messages. Is nonverbal communication (such as body language and facial expressions) even relevant in teams to ensure high team performance? With this work you will screen existing knowledge about verbal and non-verbal communication in teams.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Merlind Knof
Attention dog lovers - digital marketing using the example of a digital platform for dogs
2022/06/10
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
Digital marketing has long since arrived in many industries, such as the fashion world. In other areas it is rather at the beginning. The thesis aims at transferring the instruments of digital marketing to products and services in the B2C market. The specific market considered is the one around the dog.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg
Future Challenges in Marketing and Innovation Management
2021/04/20
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
Digitalization and AI offer extensive opportunities for companies' marketing activities. However, these new algorithms are also associated with a number of challenges. The suggested topics in the attached PDF are intended to shed light on these aspects.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg
Hi, my Name is Pepper and I am your New Team Colleague – Integration of Robots in Work Teams
2022/01/07
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
The arrival of social robots in work teams is only a matter of time. But such robots – like any new team member – must be integrated into their teams to ensure their successful and sustainable use. Exemplary research questions are: What do we already know about the integration of new team members in all-human work teams? What are important factors for the integration of robotic team members in mixed human-robot teams (HRTs)? And what are fruitful areas for future research on robot integration in work teams?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Lea Heitlinger
The New Face of HR: Investigating the Implementation of Social Robots in Human Resources
2021/12/29
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
We want to scan the existing literature to get an overview over potential roles and effects of social robots entering Human Resources departments. Exemplary research questions are: How will robots shape Human Resources departments of the future? Which roles are suitable for robots concerning their introduction into the department? Which effects on employees and other actors can be expected?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Lea Heitlinger
Organizational Future Fitness
2022/07/27
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis
We live in a fast-moving world, where organizations need to act proactively in order to shape their future and to stay in the game. Thus, the future fitness plays an important role for every innovative organization. But how can companies manage their business in a future-oriented way?
This final thesis is offered with our cooperation partner, Jakob Maul GmbH.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Mona Kegel
Future of the working world: What needs and wishes do customers have of the company of tomorrow?
2022/07/25
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis
The office workplace is increasingly changing. For example, companies are increasingly turning to paperless offices for reasons such as increased efficiency, labor savings, and environmental protection. As a result, various traditional office supplies are becoming increasingly obsolete and the requirements for office supply products are changing significantly. For companies offering such products, it is therefore essential to understand which products and features their (potential) customers of tomorrow will need. What will the office workplace of tomorrow look like, which office supplies are relevant? Which features are relevant for customers?
This final thesis is offered with our cooperation partner, Jakob Maul GmbH.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Merlind Knof
My Colleague, the Robot: A Field Experiment with Business Teams
2022/05/12
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
Before field experiments can deliver valid data, it is crucial to specify the research design and important aspects that need to be considered for maximum success – especially in a business context where several stake-holders are involved. In this thesis, concrete recommendations will be developed to conduct a real-life field experiment involving humanoid and android robots in business teams.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Lea Heitlinger
Ethical aspects of supporting human work teams with technologies: An HR perspective
2022/01/03
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
With advancing digitization also comes a greater responsibility that not only involves technical performance and safety but also social aspects and more concrete ethics. In order to shed more light on this important topic, this thesis should aim at providing insights that can help to answer a number of research questions, including
- What do we already know about ethical aspects of placing technology, such as robots, in teams?
- How do ethics for all-human teams and ethics for human-robot teams fit together?
- What are important ethical considerations for future research on and deployment of human-robot teams?
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Lea Heitlinger
Dear Diary, … - Evaluating and comparing measures for experimental designs
2022/01/02
Master thesis, Studienarbeit
Selecting suitable instruments and methods to measure causal effects is a challenge for many researchers across scientific fields. It is an important prerequisite for any further decisions regarding any study design. We want to take a closer look at various methods that are currently used to assess causality in (field) experiments in business contexts, compare them and derive specific recommendations.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Lea Heitlinger
Could you Please Bring me a Cappucchino and the Status Report from last Week, Mr. Robot? – Evolution and Future Potentials of Various Team Roles in a Business Context
2022/01/02
Master thesis, Studienarbeit
Many jobs are experiencing a major shift in the skills and core capabilities required for the future. This change does not stop at “classic” office jobs such as team assistance and PMO. We want to take a closer look at how the jobs of a team assistant and a PMO in large corporations are changing, what today’s core competencies are, and which competencies will be needed in the future.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Lea Heitlinger
Future Challenges in Human Resource Management
2021/04/20
Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit
Digitalization and COVID-19 led to a major shift on how we actually work and will work in the future. The suggested topics in the attached PDF are intended to shed light on these aspects. The topics cover all exciting areas of HR work of the future: from AI-based recruiting and leadership to digital work opportunities.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg