Theses

Deep Dive:

Digital entrepreneurship has emerged as a transformative force in the global business landscape, driven by the advent and integration of new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. This shift towards digital entrepreneurship is characterized by the creation and operation of businesses in entirely digital or digitized environments, enabling entrepreneurs to leverage digital technologies to innovate, scale, and reach global markets with unprecedented speed and efficiency. The importance of research in this field stems from the need to understand the unique challenges and opportunities presented by digital entrepreneurship, including the ways in which it alters the nature of uncertainty in entrepreneurial pursuits. Digital technologies have blurred the boundaries of traditional business processes and outcomes, introducing greater flexibility, and unpredictability.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Capabilities and process to pursue digital innovation
• Factors influencing exploitation of digital ecosystems (e.g., through generativity)
• Factors that promote the application of digital technologies (e.g., AI) in digital business model development
• Design principles and methodologies for digital business models design or reconfiguration
• Success factors at the different stages of a start-up
• Measures and antecedents of success of digital entrepreneurship

Supervisor:

Lukas Julius

Deep Dive:

SMEs form the backbone of the German economy and face unique challenges when it comes to transitioning traditional business models to the digital world. Due to limited financial, personnel, and technical resources, this transformation is particularly challenging. Our research project aims to understand how small and medium-sized enterprises can successfully manage this transformation and position themselves successfully in an increasingly digitalized world.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Financial Impacts of Digital Transformation in SMEs: Examination of the economic consequences of digital innovations, based on existing datasets.
• Collaborative Innovation Processes: Exploring the collaboration between startups, research institutions, and established companies to promote digital innovations in SMEs.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence in SMEs: Investigating the potential and challenges of implementing AI technologies in small and medium-sized businesses.
• Effects of Ownership Structures: Analysis of how different ownership conditions influence the adoption and implementation of digital technologies.

Supervisor:

Tim Kraft

Deep Dive:

Digital technologies are a key determinant of success in meeting customers’ requirements, enabling a plethora of new ways to create, deliver, and capture value. By transforming the entire value creation process, digital technologies challenge traditional business strategies and urge firms to anticipate customer expectations ex-ante, implement supportive organizational structures and roles, and develop an organizational culture that meets these new demands. This confronts incumbent organizations with a multitude of challenges, often resulting in fundamental organizational changes, referred to as digital transformation. Thus, to remain competitive, incumbent firms recognize an increasing necessity of digital innovation, which is the core of digital transformation.

One element that facilitates the management of digital innovation (digital product and service innovations, digital process innovations, and digital business model innovations) and enables to successfully tackling these impeding challenges is the definition of appropriate governance mechanisms. Traditionally, research on IT governance was mainly concerned with the exploitation of IT assets, with a strong focus on increasing efficiency and reducing costs. However, with the growing importance of digital technologies, this focus has changed. Now flexibility, speed, and a higher responsiveness to change are becoming increasingly relevant, leading to profound changes in the nature of IT governance.

In addition, digital capabilities are recognized to be crucial for digital innovation success. These capabilities are essential for organizations to adapt and quickly respond to changes, balancing the exploration of new opportunities while preserving existing ones. Yet, they are often scarce or completely obsolete in incumbent firms, presenting a significant hurdle in the path of digital transformation and great potential for future research.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Digital Governance mechanisms for embracing digital innovation
• The impact of IT governance deviance on firm performance
• Enablement of unauthorized IT experimentation while maintaining IT compliance
• Governance principles that help to mitigate shocks and uncertainty
• The role of the IT department in digital innovation
• Digital readiness – what (new) digital capabilities and competencies are needed for digital transformation and how are these required
• Exploring the role of IT and digital capabilities for resilience

Supervisor:

Isabel Bienfuß, Simon Riedle

Deep Dive:

In today's digital era, the proliferation of AI-driven services has revolutionized numerous aspects of our lives, from personalized recommendations and virtual assistants to healthcare diagnostics and financial forecasting. As these technologies become increasingly embedded in our daily routines, the importance of privacy research cannot be overstated. AI systems often require vast amounts of personal data to function effectively, raising significant concerns about data security, user consent, and ethical usage. Addressing these concerns through rigorous privacy research is essential not only for protecting individual rights but also for fostering public trust, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks, and promoting the ethical development of AI. This research is critical in uncovering potential vulnerabilities, mitigating biases, and developing innovative solutions that safeguard user data without hindering technological advancement. By prioritizing privacy in AI, we can navigate the complex interplay between technological innovation and the fundamental right to privacy, paving the way for a more secure and equitable digital future.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Factors influencing the acceptance of AI-based services
• Nudges and aspects facilitating prosocial data disclosure & data donation
• Factors influencing the consumer's willingness to disclose data to use a service
• Methodologies to assess the consumer's valuation of data and privacy
• Assessing the impact of privacy-preserving measures on the usage of AI services

Supervisor:

Alexander Zieglmeier

Deep Dive:

The evolving nature of data ecosystems, characterized by the interconnectedness of various, heterogeneous data sources, platforms, and stakeholders, presents unique challenges and opportunities for ecosystem management and governance. Effective governance strategies are essential to ensure data quality, security, privacy, and compliance while fostering innovation and value creation. Researchers can explore how to balance regulatory, societal, and business requirements with the need for data accessibility and sharing. Additionally, the role of emerging technologies like Blockchain and AI in enhancing data governance frameworks is a promising area of study.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Developing governance models that balance data protection with data utility, including adaptive governance models for rapidly changing data environments
• Studying the socio-technical challenges in establishing ecosystems and governance
• Investigating best practices for stakeholder engagement in data ecosystems
• Developing and evaluating KPIs to measure the effectiveness of governance models on organizational innovation

Supervisor:

Anne Ixmeier, Franziska Wagner

Deep Dive:

The integration of information systems and digital technologies in circular economy practices can significantly enhance the tracking, management, and optimization of resource flows, product lifecycles, and waste reduction strategies. Effective information systems can support the design, implementation, and monitoring of circular economy principles by enabling data-driven decision-making and facilitating collaboration among stakeholders. Researchers can explore how digital technologies like IoT, digital twins, and big data analytics can drive the transition towards a circular economy. Additionally, the development of innovative business models and governance frameworks tailored to circular principles offers a rich area for study.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Assessing the impact of digital twins on circular economy practices
• Exploring cross-industry data sharing and collaboration for circular economy initiatives
• Developing metrics and KPIs for evaluating circular economy performance using information systems
• Exploring the role of information systems in monitoring and reporting regulatory compliance in circular supply chains
• Assessing the effectiveness of platform-based user communities in driving circular economy practices and consumer behavior change

Supervisor:

Anne Ixmeier, Franziska Wagner

Deep Dive:

Companies are under increasing pressure to evaluate and mitigate their sustainability impacts according to the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) approach. Information systems can play a pivotal role in tracking, reporting, and optimizing ESG performance by providing accurate, real-time data and analytics. Researchers can explore how digital technologies like big data, blockchain, and AI can enhance transparency, accountability, and decision-making processes related to ESG goals. Additionally, developing capabilities and frameworks for integrating ESG metrics into corporate strategies and operations presents a promising area for study.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Studying the impact of information systems on regulatory compliance for ESG standards
• Exploring cross-industry data sharing platforms for collaborative and scalable ESG goal management
• Exploring the impact of ESG regulation on companies’ strategies and capabilities
• Assessing the potential of AI in identifying ESG-related trends and patterns

Supervisor:

Anne Ixmeier, Simon Riedle

Deep Dive:

Supply chain disruptions pose various problems for companies in ensuring the production and delivery of their products. In response, companies must create capabilities to enable countermeasures against disruptions and realize resilience. Information systems can play a key role in detecting, mitigating, and adapting to major shocks. Developing frameworks and capabilities for proactive risk management, real-time monitoring, and disaster recovery is essential for sustaining business continuity. The integration of digital strategies with overall organizational strategy and the impact of regulatory compliance on digital resilience are further promising areas for study.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Developing a framework (e.g. taxonomy) that takes into account the nature and characteristics of shocks
• Studying the impact of regulatory compliance (e.g. AI-Act) on digital resilience strategies
• Investigating the role of data analytics in proactive and reactive risk management
• Developing methodologies for continuous improvement of digital resilience practices
• Developing platform-based solutions for scalable mitigation and adaptation to shocks

Supervisor:

Anne Ixmeier, Simon Riedle

Deep Dive:

Companies operate in a world with abundant opportunities created by rapidly improving and permeating digital technologies. However, the use of digital technologies not only holds opportunities, but also bears significant risks, which are often overlooked and not adequately managed. A key challenge for firms lies in understanding and managing such novel digital risks. Thus, the concept of Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) has attracted increasing attention as it guides companies in responsibly managing digital risks. Information systems can help in tracking, managing, and reporting on various aspects of CDR, including data privacy, digital inclusion, and environmental impact. Researchers can explore how advanced technologies can enhance transparency, accountability, and governance in digital practices. Additionally, developing frameworks and tools for embedding digital responsibility into corporate strategies and operations is a promising area for study. The role of regulatory compliance, stakeholder engagement, and corporate culture in promoting CDR can also be significantly enhanced through information systems.

Promising Research Avenues:

• Developing principles that help to mitigate CDR risks to promote CDR
• Exploring the role of AI and data analytics in monitoring digital responsibility metrics
• Developing platform-based solutions for scalable digital responsibility reporting
• Exploring strategies for fostering stakeholder engagement and communication in CDR initiatives

Supervisor:

Anne Ixmeier

Thesis Guidelines (PDF, 605 KB)

Research Paper Template (DOCX, 48 KB)

Usage of LLMs (PDF, 22,905 KB)

Recommendations for the use of generative and other AI tools (PDF, 86 KB)