Thesis Announcements

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.

Would you like to apply with your own thesis topic? Please note that we require an exposé in addition to your CV and performance review. You can find information about this in the download section on the right side or on the bottom of this page.

1. Digital Marketing, Services Marketing and Service Robotics

  • (No) AI technologies (e.g., service robots) in retail?

    2023/09/19

    Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

    When walking through German city centers, the notices in the windows of numerous retail stores catch the eye: “Employees wanted”. Demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers are hitting the retail sector hard. Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic led to many service staff reorienting themselves and not returning to their original profession. But why are promising AI technologies, such as service robots, hardly used in retail? Are they not a promising solution to current problems?

    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Merlind Knof

    Announcement as PDF

  • Ethics and Morality in New Technologies and Technology-Induced Services

    2023/09/04

    Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

    Robots get increasingly involved in human lives. 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

    Announcement as PDF

  • “Entrepreneurship, Meet Everybody” – The Impact of Digital Business Models on Entrepreneurial Orientation

    2023/08/17

    Master thesis

    Dropshipping, Fulfilment-by-Amazon, Affiliate Marketing: the rise of the internet and increasing consumer reliance on online retail has given prominence to these and several other novel ecommerce business models. However, thus far, research on the demographics and motivation of founders pursuing these business models is scarce. We are seeking to understand what factors drive certain population groups (e.g., college students, working professionals, etc.) to start businesses using new online retailing models.

    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, Pascal Friedmann, MBA

    Announcement as PDF

  • Unlocking the Power of Recall: Revamping Large Language Models with Long-Term Memory

    2023/09/26

    Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

    The primary aim of this thesis is to investigate how Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4 can be endowed with long-term memory capabilities. The research will assess the limitations of existing LLM architectures, propose new mechanisms to enable long-term memory, and evaluate their efficacy and potential impact.

    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Nils Schönfeld

    Announcement as PDF

  • The importance of innovation descriptions for assessing the value of innovations

    2023/09/19

    Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

    Today's dynamic and competitive business environment requires continuous innovation to ensure business success and growth. A key component in unlocking the potential of innovation is the innovation description, which serves as a communication tool to convey the value of an innovation.

    This thesis is dedicated to analyzing and understanding the components that must be included in an innovation description to enable a comprehensive assessment of innovation value. A literature review will be conducted to examine how each component contributes to the assessment of innovation value and how it persuades potential investors and decision makers. Subsequently, the challenges of creating innovation descriptions, including potential stumbling blocks, are highlighted and recommendations for overcoming these challenges are formulated. The goal of the paper is to develop a transparent presentation of effective innovation descriptions as a key tool in a company's innovation strategy.

    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Meike Kietzmann

    Announcement as PDF

  • Write Creatively or Stick to the Facts? A comparison of the effects of descriptive styles on innovation evaluation.

    2023/09/19

    Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

    In the age of digitalization, crowdfunding platforms such as Indiegogo have become a venue for promising innovations. The often very marketing-oriented descriptions are striking. But does this creative writing actually have the potential to foster innovation?

    A key component in unlocking the potential of innovation is the innovation description. This thesis addresses the question of how innovation descriptions influence the perception of the value of innovations. In a quantitative study, marketing-oriented innovation descriptions are compared with sober and factual styles of innovation description. The aim is to find out which of the two description styles – emotional and creative versus factual and sober – is perceived as more innovative. In addition, we will analyze which psychological components are fundamental for this perception. These findings can provide important impulses for the way innovations are presented on platforms and potentially have implications for the promotion and success of innovations.

    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Meike Kietzmann

    Announcement as PDF

  • Large Language Models are User Interfaces – Developing User-Centred Voice Assistants

    2023/08/16

    Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

    Large Language Models have shown a remarkable ability to understand user intents and act on them. By fine-tuning foundation models on voice assistant use-cases, we can gain better control of interaction flows, and enable a larger range of interaction styles. A thesis in this area can focus on a variety of research directions: User Experience Research, Dataset Engineering, and User Interface Design.

    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M. Sc. Sven Schultze

    Announcement as PDF

  • Future Challenges in Human Resource Management

    2023/03/01

    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

    Announcement as PDF

  • Robots and AI-based Technologies in the Working World of Tomorrow

    2023/08/17

    Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

    Technologies, such as robots, will be an important part of the future working world. In order to reap the benefits of the integration of such technologies, it is important to consider how the interactions with human partners will evolve in several settings.

    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ruth Stock-Homburg, M.Sc. Lea Heitlinger

    Announcement as PDF