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Department Business and Economics

Alumni

Dr. Darius Abel
Topic: Advancing signaling theory through the context of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations - An Empirical Analysis

Using the context of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), important gaps in signal theory are addressed with regard to conflicting and negative signals, as well as the effect of multiple signals. Important technological and organizational signals of DAOs are examined in order to learn more about this new blockchain-based form of organization and to improve the understanding of signal theory.

Dr. Tobias Bähr
Focus: Top Management Team, Corporate Innovation
Topic: Lifting Innovation and Digitalization to the C-Suite: A Quantitative Investigation of the Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Cassian Behlau
Topic: Implementing Circular Economy on the Firm Level – Antecedents and Enablers to Promote Environmentally Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Sustainable production through circular value creation
In the context of climate change, circular economy offers solutions to the growing business risks for manufacturing companies to decouple economic growth from the consumption of natural resources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Against this background, this research project investigates the organizational prerequisites for the development of circular value creation practices as well as their impact on customer relations and the innovative strength of companies.

Dr. Leonard Benning
Topic: Inorganic Growth of New Technology Ventures: Drivers and Capabilities in the M&A Process

Dr. Oliver Burger
Topic: Customer involvement in new product development: Performance mechanisms and success factors

Involving customers in product development
Against a background of growing customer expectations and rising development costs, companies are increasingly involving their customers in the development of new products and services. In many cases, however, the sometimes very complex involvement of customers does not bring the desired success. This research project therefore examines the organizational success factors for the involvement of customers in product development and analyzes their influence on product success. Here, factors on team as well as organizational level are explored across different industries and organizations.

Christoph Brütting
Thema: New Venture Internationalization and Innovativeness: An Empirical Multi-Level Investigation
Dr. Jana Falk
Topic: Team Diversity in the Innovation Context: An Empirical Investigation of Related Mechanisms and Consequences
Dr. Florian Fengel
Topic:
Digital Orientation: Scale Development and Investigation of Strategic Outcomes
Dr. Konstanze Fuchs
Topic:
The Well-Being of Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Investigation
Dr. Max Groberg
Topic: A Scale for Measuring the Effectiveness of Digital Transformations: Empirical Investigation of the Role of Corporate Entrepreneurship and Organizational Outcomes
Dr. Bastian Hechenrieder
Topic:
The Working Alliance in Executive Coaching: A Multi-Level Perspective
Dr. Alexander Hering
Focus: Innovation Management
Topic: Heterogeneity in Family Firm Innovation: An Empirical Investigation of Sources and Innovation Outcomes
Dr. Julian Hess
Topic: Strategic Flexibility in the Digital Age: Antecedents of Strategic Flexibility and the Role of Digital Technology Capabilities
Dr. Anna Hocker
Topic:
Entrepreneurial Hustle: An Empirical Investigation of Creative, Urgent, and Unorthodox Entrepreneurial Action
Dr. Irina Karthaus
Topic:
The Bright Side of Overconfidence: An Empirical Investigation of the Implications of CEO Overconfidence in SMEs
Dr. Caroline Kettner
Topic:
Evaluating Innovative Business Models in Research and Development Teams: An Empirical Investigation
Dr. Anne König
Topic:
Embracing Uncertain Entrepreneurial Opportunities: The Influence of Individual Resources and Psychological Mechanisms on Entrepreneurs in Africa
Dr. Marko Kraljev
Focus: FinTech, Regulation
Topic: FinTechs’ Path to Innovation and Success: A Quantitative Investigation of FinTech Characteristics and the Importance of Regulation
Dr. Niels Kuschmierz
Topic: Corporate Venture Capital Syndication: An Investigation of the Influence of Uncertainty, Relatedness and Ownership on Firms' Syndication with Reputable Venture Capital Firms
Dr. Lea Mergemeier
Topic: Barriers and Drivers in Entrepreneurship - Constraints and Personality in the Context of the Venture Creation Process and Intrapreneurship
Dr. Jessica Moser
Topic: The Genesis of the Nascent Firm: Drivers and Barriers along the Venture Creation Process
Dr. Lena Naser
Topic:
The Future of Work: An Investigation of the Role of Gender Diversity
Dr. Isabel Ohlies
Topic: Towards a Better Understanding of Entrepreneurial Marketing: Performance Outcomes, Antecedents and Tools of Entrepreneurial Marketing in New Ventures

Dr. Sebastian Peick
Topic:
ADHD-like symptoms in Entrepreneurship: An Empirical Investigation

Dr. Julia Peitzmeier
Topic: Executive Coaching: An Empirical Investigation of Factors Determining Coaching Effectiveness
Dr. Michael Pielen
Topic: Business models for new mobility solutions/ecosystems
Dr. Jeldrik Pulm
Focus:
Initial Public Offerings
Topic: Entrepreneurial Orientation in Newly Public Firms: An Empirical Investigation of Strategic Outcomes
Dr. Ivan Reh Tretiakov
Topic:
 Demystifying the Influence of CVC-Investors: A Quantitative Analysis of New Ventures’ Outcomes
Dr. Raphael Rettig
Topic: Diffusion of Digital Manufacturing Process Innovations: Capabilities and Organizational Change in Global Environments

Dr. Martin Ruth
Topic: Entrepreneurial passion – A multi-sample investigation of antecedents, mechanisms, and venture-level outcomes along the entrepreneurial process

(Negative) personality of entrepreneurs and its effects.
Personality research of decision makers and founders is an interface topic between management and psychology research. While research on managerial personality is more advanced, that on founder personality is still in its infancy. To advance this research strand, the research project investigates the influence of the so-called Dark Triad of personality (narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy) on the behavior and business success of founders. A particular focus is on investigating whether these traits, which have negative connotations, can also have positive effects in a certain context. In addition, the goal is to close the research gap that calls for further insights into mechanisms and interactions of the Dark Triad. To achieve this goal, effects of the Dark Triad on entrepreneurial passion as well as the founder's start-up approach are investigated.

Dr. Julie Saesen
Topic:
Digital Champions in the Upper Echelons: A Quantitative Investigation of the Influence of CEOs on their Firms' Digital Orientation
 
Digital technologies are transforming industries and offering companies new opportunities and challenges in the pursuit of competitive advantage. Managers are faced with the task of responding appropriately and adapting their corporate strategies accordingly. A digital orientation can be essential for companies that want to create a foundation for digital transformation. Upper Echelon's research to date shows that CEOs play a central role in strategic decision-making and resource allocation for digitalization projects. Against this background, this research project aims to gain a deeper theoretical and empirical understanding of how the characteristics and backgrounds of CEOs influence the digital orientation of organizations.

Dr. Antonia Samakovlis
Topic:
Going Circular at the Firm Level: A Study of Closed-Loop Orientation
Dr. Christian Schäfer
Focus:
Initial Coin Offerings
Topic: Beyond the Initial Success – The Relation of Funding Campaign Signals and Longer-Term Venture Performance in Initial Coin Offerings
Dr. Marc Schmidt
Topic: Entrepreneurial behavior in developing countries

Dr. Lisa Schrewentigges
Topic:
Fear of Failure among Active Entrepreneurs: A Multi-Level Empirical Investigation of Antecedents and Outcomes

Entrepreneurship is an emotional adventure driven by a high degree of uncertainty in the founding environment and by the deep emotional bond between the founder and his company. Founders are often described as resilient, ambitious, but also fearful. However, although the fear of failure is a well-known emotion, research into this emotion focuses primarily on prospective founders - active founders are largely neglected. Against this backdrop, this research project examines the drivers and consequences of the fear of failure among active founders at an individual, team and company level.

Dr. Katharina Schulte
Topic:
Trust in Hybrid Teams: An Empirical Investigation of Antecedents and Mechanisms

Dr. Jana Schulz
Topic: Human Capital and Hybrid Entrepreneurship

Hybrid Entrepreneurship
Hybrid entrepreneurship describes business start-ups that the founder carries out in parallel with another employment relationship. Although this type of entrepreneurship is widespread, it has only recently attracted academic attention. Therefore, the aim of this research project is to investigate how hybrid entrepreneurs differ from so-called pure entrepreneurs. In addition to differences between entrepreneurs as individuals, we examine differences between the companies founded by hybrid and pure entrepreneurs.

Dr. Christian Sturm
Topic: Bootstrapping: Antecedents, Methods and Consequences of Financial Bootstrapping Behavior
Dr. Tim Tegeder
Topic: 
Empirical Studies on Special Purpose Acquisition Companies: An Entrepreneurial and Managerial Perspective
Dr. Sven Veismann
Topic:
The Configuration and Management of Corporate Venture Capital Portfolios from a Real Option Perspective
Dr. Hans-Martin Vetter
Topic: Dynamic Capabilities for Digital Transformation: Scale Development and Investigation of Performance Implications

Dr. Lucas Willcke
Topic: Digital Sustainable Entrepreneurship – A Quantitative Analysis of Success Factors for New Ventures

Digital technologies as success factors for sustainable growth companies
In the context of the ongoing climate catastrophe, ecologically and socially sustainable growth companies theoretically represent an important cornerstone for mitigating the impact on society, but their influence is often limited in practice. Digital technologies offer a potential solution to improve this impact from several factors. This research project therefore examines the use of digital technologies as success factors for these companies and their necessary strategic orientation under multifactorial external influences.

Dr. Cecile Wilm
Topic:
The Founder at the Heart of the Venture: An Empirical Investigation of Beneficial and Harmful Outcomes of Entrepreneurial Passion
Dr. Thomas Zehren
Topic: Start-up Financing: Antecedents and Implication