Your thesis at the IES
You can write your bachelor's or master's thesis at one of the two chairs of the IES. Please contact the department that best matches your areas of interest. Below you will find an overview of the topics covered by the two professorships.
Tips for a successful start to your thesis
Think about which topics interest you and start reading up on them. What motivates you? What would you like to find out? Where do you want to go after your studies? These questions can help you find a motivating topic. You might like to combine your field of study with a topic covered by our institute.
Read a few research papers on your initial topic suggestions. This will give you an overview of the academic literature and inspire you to come up with interesting questions.
For research purposes, you can use bonnus (the search portal of the University of Bonn). But also sites such as Google Scholar, Elicit, EBSCO or Web of Science could be used for research.
Formal requirements
Find out about the formal requirements of the Final thesis in your degree programme. In which language must the thesis be written? What are the registration and submission deadlines? Are there any additional requirements for your degree programme?
We are looking forward to your interest in writing your bachelor's or master's thesis with us. We are open to theses in the areas of entrepreneurial action, innovation, change management, sustainability & impact, resilience, or knowledge transfer.
Below you will find the main topics of our department and the supervisors. Please feel free to contact us to write your thesis with us – even if you are not sure whether it fits in with our main areas of focus.
Topics at the Chair for Entrepreneurial Behaviour
1. Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Behaviour
How can entrepreneurial behaviour be predicted?
2. Sustainable Entrepreneurial Behaviour
How can entrepreneurs contribute to a sustainable and regenerative future?
3. Entrepreneurial Behaviour in Emerging Economies
How can entrepreneurship be promoted in emerging markets?
4. Changes in Entrepreneurial Behaviour
How do entrepreneurs behave along the entrepreneurial process?
Supervisors at the Chair of Entrepreneurial Behaviour
- Entrepreneurial Resilience
- Sustainable Entrepreneurship
- Workplace Culture
- Openness towards technology
- (Sustainable) Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
- Entrepreneurial Learning
- Entrepreneurial Finance & Impact Investing
- Blockchain for common good, DeFi, DAOs
I prefer to supervise final theses written in English.
What is it like to work at the Chair of Entrepreneurial Behaviour?
It is important that the topic is scientific in nature and broadly related to the chair's field of study. Conceptual work or literature reviews, such as the development of a framework, are possible. You can also write empirical papers with us. You can conduct qualitative research, e.g. with case study interviews, or quantitative research with primary or secondary data sets.
We also offer you the opportunity to write a practice-oriented thesis in cooperation with a start-up or an established company.
| Degree | Topic | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor / Master | Systematic literature review: Innovation strategies of agricultural machinery manufacturers in the agricultural industry | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Start-ups as drivers of disruptive agricultural technologies | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Resale behaviour of farmers: case study of milking robots in dairy farming | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Technology adoption in crop farming: A comparative analysis | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Determinants of adoption factors for innovative technologies in animal husbandry | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Innovative technologies in animal welfare and human well-being management | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Economic versus ethical dimensions of the use of innovative technologies in animal husbandry | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Adoption of Autonomous Vehicles and Robotics in European Agriculture. | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Abschluss | Thema | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor | Classification of difficulties faced by sustainable start-ups and coping strategies | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor | Influences of sustainability values on corporate resilience | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor | Between idealism and reality: challenges faced by sustainable entrepreneurs and their coping strategies | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | Crises as opportunities for growth? Successful coping strategies from sustainable entrepreneurs | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | The glass ceiling as a stress test: coping strategies of female entrepreneurs in sustainable industries | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | Between frustration and growth: How founders deal with disappointment in employees | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | The influence of disappointed expectations on leadership and team dynamics | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | Business succession in the agricultural industry beyond traditional farm structures | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Abschluss | Thema | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor | Role of mentoring for the entrepreneurial resilience of founders/farmers | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor | Influences of cooperation and communities on entrepreneurial resilience | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | Between regulations and innovation: The role of networks in overcoming regulatory challenges for start-ups | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | From lobbying to mentoring: How start-ups influence regulatory processes through networks | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Abschluss | Thema | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor/Master | The Mittelstand's Credit Transformation: How Banking Transformation is Reshaping Finance and Innovation for German Family Businesses. | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor/Master | Fields of Finance: Navigating Banking Shifts, Credit Access, and the Future of Innovation in German Agriculture. Farmers' Perspectives on the evolution of Bank Lending |
Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor/Master | Entrepreneurial Finance: Venture capital, alternative financing and impact investing | Moritz Mey |
| Master | Impact & Sustainability in Start-ups: Measurement, best practices and challenges | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor / Master | DeFi & DAOs, alternative financing and organisational options. Opportunities, risks and challenges | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor | Literature Review: creating effective incubation and acceleration programs | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor / Master | Scaling agriculture: The role of venture capital and accelerators | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | The influence of government subsidies on innovation investment in agriculture | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Bachelor / Master | Investment behaviour of agricultural businesses in the context of technological innovations | Dorothee Scharpenberg |
| Degree | Topic | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Master | Blockchain and AI for social innovation: applications and ethical considerations | Moritz Mey |
| Master | Decentralised finance (DeFi), decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs): governance and entrepreneurial aspects | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor | Systematic literature reviews on high-tech for social good (blockchain, AI, ethical aspects) | Moritz Mey |
| Degree | Topic | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor | Influence of positive and negative emotions on the resilience of entrepreneurs/farmers | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor | Emotional intelligence as a factor influencing entrepreneurial resilience | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | Emotion management by start-up teams in times of crisis | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Bachelor / Master | The right twist: Psychological factors influencing successful and timely pivots in start-ups | Kristin Brennhäußer |
| Degree | Topic | Ansprechpartner |
|---|---|---|
| Master | IIdentification of stranded assets in agriculture and development of innovative business models for repurposing in cooperation with aarnt bioworks GmbH | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor | Analysis of the AgriTech start-up landscape: Innovative solutions for the repurposing of stranded assets and market opportunities for entrepreneurs in cooperation with aarnt bioworks GmbH | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor | Financing strategies for indoor farming start-ups: investor analysis and development of specific financial products in cooperation with aarnt bioworks GmbH | Moritz Mey |
| Bachelor / Master | Open topic in the field of urban farming, circular economy in cooperation with Pilzling | Moritz Mey |
Do you have an idea that motivates you and can be linked to founding a company, start-ups or entrepreneurship? Then please get in touch with Moritz Mey.
Topics & supervisors
I look forward to receiving applications for bachelor's/master's theses on the following topics:
Data protection and digital corporate responsibility in agricultural businesses
- Data protection for smart, connected products (e.g. agricultural machinery); decisions on data sharing (e.g. between farmers, local authorities and businesses); decision-making frameworks and architecture for data sharing; alternative business models for monetising data (e.g. the question of data ownership).
Technology and innovation management for adaptation to climate change
- Sustainable technologies; innovation management for adaptation to the effects of climate change; risks of climate change (e.g. heavy rainfall, drought); adaptation of urban architecture and infrastructure; cooperation between start-ups and local authorities for adaptation to climate change.
In general, all topic suggestions relating to technology and innovation management in the field of data protection and adaptation to climate change are welcome. I look forward to receiving your work in English or German.
contact: korneeva@uni-bonn.de
I look forward to receiving applications for bachelor's/master's theses on the following topics:
Challenges in cooperation between organisations in the aid and development sector
- Research into the work of organisations in the aid and development sector. Key aspects include organisational learning, inter- and intra-organisational communication, cooperation, governance and conflict resolution.
Organisational responses to emergencies caused by climate change
- Investigation of how organisations respond to emergencies caused by climate change, such as natural disasters and extreme weather events. Key aspects include building resilience, crisis management and adaptation strategies.
Technological innovation related to climate change adaptation
- Investigate the potential and role of new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), in improving the adaptability of ecosystems, optimising resource management and supporting policy decision-making processes to effectively combat climate change.
In general, all topic suggestions relating to technology and innovation management and organisational development in connection with climate change adaptation are welcome. I would be happy to receive studies in English or German.
contact: mkionka@uni-bonn.de
I look forward to receiving applications for bachelor's/master's theses on the following topics:
Management of common pool resources
Management of shared resources such as freshwater; organisational structure and effectiveness of organisations and institutions for managing shared resources (e.g. river basin organisations (RBOs)); financing and business models of organisations for managing shared resources.
Organisational learning and knowledge exchange within and between impact organisations
Examination of cooperation between NGOs, industry and start-up ecosystems for the management of community resources; public-private partnerships and networks for knowledge exchange.
Innovation and technology use for sustainable resource management
Research into technologies and innovations for the sustainable management of community resources, such as geoinformation systems (GIS) and AI
In general, all topic suggestions relating to technology and innovation management in the context of sustainable management of community resources are welcome. I look forward to receiving studies in English or German.
contact: bhummel@uni-bonn.de
Do you have any suggestions or questions?, then please feel free to contact us.