Bachelor Thesis

The procedure at the Institute for Innovation Management (IIM)

In light of changing guidelines due to COVID-19 at LMU, the below timelines for writing a thesis at our institute are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website. For further information, please see the ISC website.

1. General Information

As a business administration student at the LMU, you have the possibility of writing your Bachelor thesis at our institute. We offer several application deadlines during the year.

2. Topics

We offer a number of topics for students to work on as part of their bachelor thesis. The topics are updated regularly (at the latest on the "topic" date indicated in the table below). You will be asked to indicate your topic preference(s) during the application procedure. You can find the corresponding dates and topics below.

3. Admission Requirements

The number of thesis students for supervision depends on the available capacity at IIM. We are able to consider students for supervision who meet the following requirements:

• Passed seminar(s) and lectures at the IIM
• Interest in phenomena and theories relating to innovation management

Please also check the examination regulations of your study program at the ISC website.

4. Application and Exposé

The theses are assigned after application within the stated deadlines.
Please apply online and provide your topic preference (see list below).

Once you have completed the online application, please send the following documents to the email address indicated at the end of the application process: short letter of motivation, CV, Transcript of Records.

The date of registration with the ISC starts the clock on the eight (8) weeks to write your thesis.

5. Colloquium

You will present a progress report on your thesis work mid-way through the eight (8) weeks, where you will receive feedback and guidance on content- and process-related aspects of the thesis in progress. Please note that presenting the Colloquium on the stated date is mandatory and no exceptions are possible.

6. Schedule 2022/2023

Topics	Application	Confirmation	Registration (ISC)	Colloquium	Submission thesis (ISC)
28.03.2022	11.-15.04.2022	19.04.2022	29.04.2022	27.05.2022 (09:00-15:00)	24.06.2022
19.09.2022	03.-07.10.2022	10.10.2022	21.10.2022	18.11.2022 (09:00-15:00)	16.12.2022
21.12.2022	09.-13.01.2023	16.01.2023	27.01.2023	24.02.2023 (09:00-15:00)	24.03.2023
03.04.2023	10.-14.04.2023	17.04.2023	28.04.2023	24.05.2023 (11:00-16:00)	23.06.2023
18.09.2023	02.-06.10.2023	09.10.2023	20.10.2023	17.11.2023 (09:00-15:00)	15.12.2023

7. Topic list

Title: Research Collaborations: Conceptualising and Measuring their Impact

Topic Description: Due to the need to address grand challenges, universities are expected to conduct research that is relevant to other sectors of society. One way that universities can positively impact society is through transferring their acquired research knowledge. Research collaborations between universities and other societal actors (such as industry, schools, and civil society) provide a crucial tool for knowledge transfer, as highlighted by the Transferbarometer of the German Stifterverband. However, measuring the impact of research collaborations remains a challenge, as there is no single framework that captures all forms of impact. Thus, the aim of this bachelor thesis is to critically analyse, evaluate, and review different approaches to conceptualising and measuring the impact of research collaborations in the current literature.

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Title: We're All In This Together Now: Applying The Stakeholder Value Creation Framework In The Munich Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

Topic Description: Business model literature largely places the customer central at the center of the economic--utility value exchange that takes place between him and the focal startup. In reality, however, a variety of mutual value exchanges between stakeholders takes place around a business venture. One model to map a startup's stakeholder network as interconnected recipients and simultaneous sources of different forms of value is Freudenreich et al.'s (2020) Stakeholder Value Creation Framework.
The goal of this thesis is to apply the Stakeholder Value Creation Framework in an empirical setting to identify all relationships and activities in which value exchange relevant to the focal startup takes place in order to eventually create individual value portfolios for each stakeholder group.

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Title: Way down we go? Well-being among entrepreneurs in times of crisis

Topic Description: Aristoteles had already remarked back in his days that well-being might be the ultimate goal of human existence (Marshall et al., 2020). An entrepreneur’s well-being can be described as the experience of positive affect and infrequent negative affect in relation to developing, starting, growing and running a business (Wikilund et al, 2019). Well-being in the entrepreneurial process received increasing attention in the past years, including work on well-being enhancement (Williamson et al., 2021) and motivation (Amorós et al., 2021). External shocks and crises as Covid-19 affect entrepreneurial well-being through e.g., increased stress (Backman et al., 2021). The goal of this thesis is to provide a literature review on how different external factors affect(ed) entrepreneurial well-being, focusing crises. The review will cover both management and psychology literature and identifies relevant studies on the topic.

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Title: Dealing with uncertainty on a team level in innovation management

Topic description: Teams engaged in innovation projects are dealing with different types of challenges inherent to new product development and team functioning (e.g., Edmondson & Nembhard, 2009t). Additionally, teams engaged in radical innovation and future envisioning are confronted on a team level with challenges related to the uncertainty of the endeavor (e.g., emotions). Management literature has studied the dynamics around innovation teams using different theoretical perspectives and empirical settings. Thus, the aim of the thesis is to identify and analyze literature (mainly in management, innovation management and organizational behavior domains) exploring aspects related to the challenges of uncertainty on team level.

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Title: Who is in control of my innovativeness?

Topic description: Strict market regulations can constrain a company’s perceived locus of control and contribute to the belief that innovation within the market is impossible. The aim of this thesis is to conduct a systematic literature review of studies that have explored the influence of locus of control and self-efficacy on innovativeness of SMEs in highly regulated markets. In the first steps, the student is expected to develop a research question, narrow the scope, propose a theoretical lens for analysis, and develop a methodological approach.

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Title: Regulating for a healthier society: a review of nutritional policies & product innovation

Topic description: In an attempt to tackle the obesity crisis, governments across the world have introduced different nutritional policies such as formulation targets, labelling and taxes (Vandevijvere et al., 2020). Consumer choices - and thus also whether consumers make healthier choices - depend on the assortment of products they find on the shelf (Giesler & Veresiu, 2014). Hence, to be able to assess the effectiveness of such nutritional policies, we need to understand firms’ product innovation responses (e.g., reformulation, pricing, packaging, branding). Specifically, we ask “What is the effect of various nutritional policies on firm’s product innovation responses across marketing mix variables?”. To answer this question and evaluate effectiveness of different policies, the student will identify relevant nutritional policies and product innovation responses and review existing literature across research disciplines.

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Title: Chocolate is healthier than yogurt, or is it? A study of consumers’ confusion about the Nutri-Score

Topic description: Since 2021 German food manufacturers and retailers have been introducing the Nutri-Score – a five-color nutritional rating system printed on the front of the pack of food products - to their packaged products. The goal of the Nutri-Score is to provide additional information to consumers that support healthier food choices (EC, 2020). However, due to mixed messages in the media consumers understanding of the Nutri-Score seems to be limited especially with regards to comparability across product categories. The aim of this thesis is to explore consumers’ understanding of the Nutri-Score and identify what generates the potential confusion. To answer the question, the student takes a qualitative approach conducting interviews with different consumer groups.

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Title: Labeling for animal welfare: an empirical investigation of the German market

Topic Description: In 2018, German retailer Lidl was the first to introduce a standardized label for meat products evaluating animal husbandry (”Haltungsform-Kennzeichung”). Other retailers and manufacturers followed and the label is planned to become mandatory in Germany. Whilst extant research studies firm responses to similar voluntary front-of-package labels for nutritional quality of food products (e.g., Bablani, 2020), no research has studied how firms are responding to the new animal husbandry label. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate firms’ product innovation responses in terms of adoption of the label, improvement in animal husbandry standards and price changes. To answer the question, the student will explore a product innovation data set and empirically test specific hypotheses that are based on existing front-of-package labeling literature.

Last updated: April 5th, 2023, 18:30 pm; information subject to change.

Exam Specifications

• English language for Colloquium and Thesis
• Further details can be found in the specific examination regulations of your studies (ISC).