Educating future leaders in innovation management

All courses and exams are delivered in English.

Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Innovating for Organizational, Market, and Societal Impact (Haupteminar) (PStO 2015)

Betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung (Innovation Management) (Hauptseminar) (PStO 2024)

Bachelor Modul: Marketing, Management, and Innovation: "Creating Market Offerings" (Lecture/Tutorial) (PStO 2024) (PStO 2024)

Bachelor Specialization Module: Technology & Innovation II "Managing the Front End of Innovation" (PStO 2015)

impACTup!: Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Better Futures (Seminar) (Online Course)

Master of Science (MSc)

Subject-specific foundation: Marketing, Management, and Innovation "Foundations of Value Management" (Lecture/Tutorial) (x)

Innovating for Impact (Seminar)

Social Entrepreneurship (Seminar) (PStO 2018)

Current Topics in Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Social Entrepreneurship Lab (Seminar) (PStO 2024)

Project Course Innovation Management (Research and Praxis) (Project Course)

Notes:

Courses marked with an (x) are offered (in the main responsibility) by another chair in the corresponding semester.

Note: The scope of a seminar paper relates to the number of ECTS points that can be earned for successful participation in the seminar. This scope is measured by the number of signs of the paper, including blanks. In general, the scope of a paper in a 3 ECTS-seminar constitutes 22,200 signs (approx. 10 pages, excluding figures and tables) and 44,400 signs (approx. 20 pages) for a 6 ECTS seminar. However, these guidelines are only valid for seminars, in which the seminar paper is the only examination form. When the examination form consists of more than one parts, the length of the seminar paper will be reduced accordingly. For example, if the seminar examination for a 6 ECTS-seminar consists of a presentation and papers, each examination part accounts for 3 ECTS (50% presentation, 50% paper). In this case, the length of the seminar paper equals 22,2000 signs (3 ECTS).

Wintersemester 2024/25 (1)

• Topics: 16.09.2024
• Application: 30.09.-04.10.2024
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 07.-11.10.2024
• Colloquium: 08.11.2024 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 8 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 06.12.2024

Wintersemester 2024/25 (2)

• Topics: 20.12.2024
• Application: 06.-10.01.2025
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 13.-17.01.2025
• Colloquium: 14.02.2025 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 8 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 14.03.2025

Sommersemester 2025

• Topics: 24.03.2025
• Application: 31.03.-04.04.2025
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 07.-11.04.2025
• Colloquium: 09.05.2025 (11:00-16:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 8 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 06.06.2025

Wintersemester 2025/26 (1)

• Topics: 22.09.2025
• Application: 29.09.-03.10.2025
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 06.-10.10.2025
• Colloquium: 07.11.2025 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 8 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 05.12..2025

Wintersemester 2025/26 (2)

• Topics: 19.12.2025
• Application: 05.-09.01.2026
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 12.-16.01.2026
• Colloquium: 13.02.2026 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 8 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 13.03.2026

Title: What Counts as Innovation Localization? A Systematic Literature Review.

Topic Description: The concept of localization is cited across strategy and marketing, yet its meaning, scope, and use vary widely. This thesis will systematically review the literature to map where and how localization is invoked in innovation and new product discourse, from early design choices to market launch. By identifying the core elements that constitute localization in new product development and commercialization, this study aims to synthesize existing definitions of localization of innovation and delineate its scope for application in both research and practice.

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Title: Lazy as a New Trend? Clarifying the “Lazy Economy” in Consumer Innovation Adoption: A Systematic Literature Review-

Topic Description: Popular discourse frames a growing “lazy economy”—where consumers seek convenience, time savings, and effort reduction—yet academic concepts remain fragmented and scattered. This thesis aims to provide a systematic review that maps how the term has evolved in business and management research, clarifies its relevance for new product and service adoption, and identifies overarching mechanisms proposed in the literature. The student will synthesize findings across studies, identify emerging trends, and suggest avenues for integrating the lazy economy perspective into innovation adoption research.

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Title: Emotional Rollercoaster in Entrepreneurship: How Strong Emotions Shape the Founder’s Journey-

Topic Description: How has existing research examined the role of strong emotions in shaping entrepreneurial decision-making and resilience, and what theoretical and empirical insights emerge from this body of work? This thesis reviews research on the role of strong emotions in shaping the entrepreneurial journey, with a particular focus on decision-making and resilience. It asks whether highly emotional founders experience setbacks more intensely and whether positive emotions such as excitement can counterbalance fear or frustration. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on how strong emotions influence entrepreneurship.

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Title: The Aftermath of Obsessive Passion: A Literature Review-

Topic Description: How does existing research describe the individual, behavioral, relational, and performance-related consequences of obsessive passion in entrepreneurship? This literature review examines how obsessive passion has been portrayed in entrepreneurship research. It synthesizes findings on its reported effects on entrepreneurs’ well-being, behavior, relationships, and performance. The review aims to provide an integrated overview of current knowledge and to identify implications and research opportunities for entrepreneurship literature.

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Title: Do Consumers Really See Green? Unpacking Perceptions of Corporate Sustainability-

Topic Description: The aim of this bachelor thesis is to review how consumers perceive firms’ sustainable behavior and how such perceptions have been conceptualized and studied in management and marketing literature. Firms employ a wide range of initiatives to achieve or signal sustainability, including corporate philanthropy, eco-labeling, alliances for environmental goals, and the development of genuinely sustainable innovations. However, consumer perceptions of these activities are not always aligned with managerial intentions; in some cases, sustainability efforts go unnoticed, while in others, firms’ actions are interpreted as more sustainable than they actually are. By conducting a systematic literature review, this thesis investigates how scholars (in management and marketing) have defined and operationalized the construct of consumer perceptions of corporate sustainability or sustainability performance. Furthermore, it explores the role this construct has played in empirical models (e.g., as mediator of financial performance or moderator of firm value).

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Title: From Functions to Outcomes: A Systematic Literature Review on Causality in Knowledge Transfer Office Research.

Topic Description: Knowledge and technology transfer offices play a central role in coordinating universities’ knowledge transfer activities and their interactions with industry and broader society (Sengupta & Ray, 2017; Siegel et al., 2003). While much of the literature emphasizes the general functions and performance of knowledge transfer offices, a smaller body of research employs causal and longitudinal designs – for example, examining whether specific organizational capabilities lead to improved transfer outcomes (Lee & Jung, 2021). The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to systematically review this strand of work, synthesizing insights from causal and longitudinal approaches.

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Title: Tracing Replications: An Examination of Replication Studies in the Management Field

Topic Description: Replication studies are essential for confirming, extending, or improving previous scientific findings (Crawford et al., 2022) and ensure that research is credible and useful (Aguinis et al., 2017). Therefore, scholars call for more attention to be paid to the reproducibility and replicability of existing studies (Block et al., 2023; Maula & Stam, 2020). The aims of this thesis are thus 1) to conduct a systematic literature review, identifying the use of replication studies in prominent management journals and 2) to analyze and classify the types of replication studies in 5 exemplary management journals (see e.g., Mueller-Langer et al., 2019).

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Title: Entrepreneurial Navigation of Complex Systems: A Systematic Literature Review.

Topic Description: Entrepreneurial ecosystems are complex and dynamic, with numerous interacting components and feedback mechanisms (Theodoraki et al., 2022). Understanding how to identify and utilize leverage points within these systems can enable entrepreneurs to implement effective strategies for growth and sustainability (Lu & Dimov, 2023; Volkmann et al., 2021). This thesis aims to explore the role of system dynamics and feedback loops in entrepreneurial contexts and to identify leverage points that can serve as strategic intervention opportunities for entrepreneurs. The outcome of this thesis should be a systematic literature review drawing on insights from entrepreneurship, system dynamics, systems thinking and related literature streams contributing to the understanding of how entrepreneurs identify and utilize leverage points within complex systems.

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Title: Entrepreneurship Education for Societal Impact: Teaching beyond the Business Model.

Topic Description: Entrepreneurship education programs traditionally focus on equipping students with venture creation skills, entrepreneurial knowledge, attitudes, and intentions, with research predominantly examining short-term subjective outcomes rather than long-term behavioral impact (Nabi et al., 2017). As societies face complex grand challenges (e.g., poverty, inequality, climate change), entrepreneurs are increasingly urged to engage in impact entrepreneurship, which strives for ventures to move beyond only generating profit to driving positive societal change (Vogel et al., 2025). Educational programs are beginning to emphasize understanding interdependencies, unintended consequences, and broader impacts of entrepreneurial action (Ratten & Usmanij, 2021). This thesis aims to synthesize existing literature on how entrepreneurship education prepares students to address complex societal challenges and analyzes pedagogical approaches that move beyond traditional venture-focused teaching. The review will examine how educational interventions help students to understand systemic interdependencies, identify entrepreneurial opportunities, and develop solutions with broader societal impact. The outcome of this thesis should be a systematic literature review drawing on insights from entrepreneurship education and pedagogy literature, thereby contributing to the understanding of how entrepreneurship education can effectively prepare students to address complex challenges.

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Title: Measuring Sustainable Product Launches in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry: A Systematic Literature Review.

Topic Description: Sustainability has become a central concern in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, where companies face increasing pressure from consumers, regulators, and stakeholders to reduce environmental impact and create responsible products. In this context, sustainable product launches—that is, the introduction of new products designed with environmental and societal considerations—are emerging as a critical lever for both competitiveness and long-term value creation. Despite growing interests, measuring sustainable product launches remains challenging, partly due to the multidimensional nature of sustainability and the lack of standardized evaluation frameworks. The aim of this thesis is to address this gap by synthesizing the fragmented measurement approaches across the innovation management, sustainability, and marketing literature. You will conduct a systematic literature review to identify, categorize, and critically analyze the existing measurement approaches for sustainable product launches within the CPG industry. The findings are expected to provide insights for managers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to design more effective measures to capture sustainable innovation in the CPG industry.

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Title: Factors Influencing Sustainable Product Launches in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry: A Systematic Literature Review.

Topic Description: Sustainability has become a central concern in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, where companies face increasing pressure from consumers, regulators, and stakeholders to reduce environmental impact and create responsible products. In this context, sustainable product launches—that is, the introduction of new products designed with environmental and societal considerations—are emerging as a critical lever for both competitiveness and long-term value creation. Yet, the adoption and effectiveness of such practices vary widely across firms and markets. The aim of this thesis is to synthesize fragmented insights across multiple disciplines on the factors influencing sustainable product launches in the CPG industry. You will conduct a systematic literature review to examine the internal and external factors that drive sustainable product launches within the CPG industry, primarily in the fields of innovation management, corporate strategy, and marketing. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights into the factors that foster or hinder sustainability practices in the CPG industry.

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Title: Impression Management in Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Literature Review.

Topic Description: Impression management plays a crucial role in how entrepreneurs and managers shape stakeholder perceptions, establish legitimacy, and secure vital resources. Prior research shows that entrepreneurs engage in impression management when presenting forecasts to investors (Collewaert et al., 2021) or when navigating stigma following failure (Shepherd & Haynie, 2011; Kibler et al., 2017). Such strategies also influence financial outcomes, for instance in angel investing and crowdfunding (Parhankangas & Ehrlich, 2014; Bolinger et al., 2025), or through vocal and linguistic framing in entrepreneurial pitches (Allison et al., 2022; Falchetti et al., 2022). However, impression management carries potential risks: symbolic actions may fail or even backfire when audiences scrutinize and challenge entrepreneurs’ claims, requiring strategic recalibration (Karp & O’Mahony, 2025).

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to conduct a systematic literature review of impression management in management and entrepreneurship research. The thesis will synthesize major thematic domains, identify core theoretical perspectives and empirical findings, and highlight promising avenues for future research.

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Title: The Language of Opportunity: How Discovery, Creation, and Judgment Are Reflected in Entrepreneurial Discourse.

Topic Description: Entrepreneurial opportunities are not only central constructs in theory but also reflected in the language entrepreneurs use when framing their ventures. Prior research shows that opportunities can be conceived as discoveries of objective market gaps (Shane & Venkataraman, 2000), as creations emerging from iterative interactions and enactment under uncertainty (Alvarez & Barney, 2007), or as judgments about imagined futures shaped by entrepreneurial cognition and narrative construction (Foss & Klein, 2012; Beckert, 2016). These differing views highlight that what entrepreneurs say about opportunities—whether they “find,” “create,” or “envision” them—mirrors deeper theoretical assumptions about the nature of entrepreneurial action (Davidsson, 2015; Garud & Giuliani; 2013).

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to systematically review the literature on opportunity language, synthesizing key streams, methodological approaches, and empirical insights. By comparing discovery, creation, and judgment/imagined futures perspectives, the review aims to identify conceptual overlaps, tensions, and future avenues for integrating opportunity research.

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Last updated: September 22nd, 2025, 1 pm for the application from 29.09.-03.10.2025; 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).

Wintersemester 2024/25 (1)

• Topics: 16.09.2024
• Application: 30.09.-04.10.2024
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 07.-11.10.2024
• Colloquium: 13.01.2025 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 22 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 14.03.2025

Wintersemester 2024/25 (2)

• Topics: 20.12.2024
• Application: 06.-10.01.2025
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 13.-17.01.2025
• Colloquium: 11.04.2025 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 22 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 20.06.2025

Sommersemester 2025

• Topics: 24.03.2025
• Application: 31.03.-04.04.2025
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 07.-11.04.2025
• Colloquium: 27.06.2025 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 22 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 05.-12.09.2025

Wintersemester 2025/26 (1)

• Topics: 22.09.2025
• Application: 29.09.-03.10.2025
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 06.-10.10.2025
• Colloquium: 12.12.2025 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 22 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 06.-13.03.2026

Wintersemester 2025/26 (2)

• Topics: 19.12.2025
• Application: 05.-09.01.2026
• Confirmation and Registration (ISC): 12.-16.01.2026
• Colloquium: 27.03.2026 (09:00-15:00)
• Submission thesis (ISC) 22 weeks after Registration at the latest on: 12.-19.06.2026

Title: Adopting mixed reality: investigating consumer intentions toward augmented reality and augmented virtuality in dining.

Topic Description: Mixed reality technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) and Augmented Virtuality (AV), have begun to shape the consumer experience in various industries, including the foodservice sector. These technologies have the potential to enhance the dining experience by offering immersive, interactive, and innovative ways to engage with food, restaurant ambiance, and service delivery. This thesis aims to explore consumer perceptions of AR and AV in food service settings, focusing on consumer adoption intention of such technologies and their impact on customer satisfaction. Surveys will be designed and used to gather quantitative data to assess the adoption potential of AR and AV in the foodservice industry. This study will contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the role of emerging technologies in the food industry and how they can enhance service offerings while meeting consumer demands.

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Title: Passion Profiles and Entrepreneurial Stress: How Different Compositions of Passion Influence Founder Stress.

Topic Description: How are different passion profiles (high harmonious passion, high obsessive passion, both, or low passion) associated with entrepreneurial stress, and what do these patterns reveal about the bright and dark sides of passion in entrepreneurship? This thesis investigates how different passion profiles relate to stress in the entrepreneurial journey. It compares entrepreneurs with high harmonious passion, high obsessive passion, both, or low passion to examine how these profiles are associated with levels of entrepreneurial stress (e.g., using the perceived stress scale, Cohen et al., 1983). Using survey data from entrepreneurs, the study aims to identify which passion profiles are linked to greater resilience and which are associated with higher vulnerability to stress, thereby shedding light on the bright and dark sides of entrepreneurial passion.

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Title: Assessing Universities’ Entrepreneurial Orientation: Developing a Text-Based Measure.

Topic Description: Entrepreneurial orientation typically refers to the innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking of start-ups and established firms (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996). With the rise of the entrepreneurial university model (Etzkowitz, 2003), scholars have increasingly examined the entrepreneurial orientation of universities (Balasubramanian et al., 2020; Riviezzo et al., 2019). However, most approaches rely on survey-based measures or on frameworks developed in other contexts. In this master’s thesis, you will build on an entrepreneurial orientation scale developed by Todorovic et al. (2010) – covering research commercialization, unconventionality, industry collaboration, and university policies – and adapt it into a text-based measure to assess universities’ entrepreneurial orientation.

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Title: Solving Problems or Transforming Systems? Exploring Levels of Impact in Entrepreneurial Practice.

Topic Description: Entrepreneurs are often framed as problem-solvers who offer innovative solutions to unmet needs (Hsieh et al., 2007; Shepherd et al., 2019). Yet growing interest points to their potential in fostering positive societal impact as systemic change agents, which includes addressing root causes, realigning resource flows, and driving institutional change (Battilana et al., 2009; Markman et al., 2019; Vogel et al., 2025). This thesis aims to explore the levels of impact that entrepreneurs pursue, from solving local problems to driving broader system-level change by focusing, for example, on social entrepreneurs. Drawing on entrepreneurship podcasts and archival data, this study will conduct a qualitative content analysis of how entrepreneurs define, articulate, and prioritize levels of impact and how these choices are reflected in how they explain the problem, target stakeholders, and report outcomes. The goal of this research is to contribute to ongoing debates in entrepreneurship research around the role of entrepreneurs in driving societal change and to provide a grounded understanding of how different levels of impact are framed, pursued, and assessed in practice.

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Title: Understanding the Drivers of Sustainable Product Launches in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry: An Empirical Analysis.

Topic Description: Sustainability has become a central concern in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, where companies face increasing pressure from consumers, regulators, and stakeholders to reduce environmental impact and create responsible products. In this context, sustainable product launches—that is, the introduction of new products designed with environmental and societal considerations—are emerging as a critical lever for both competitiveness and long-term value creation. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the factors that influence sustainable product launches in the CPG industry, with a focus on the interplay between internal organizational drivers and external market pressures. Drawing on existing literature, you will collect and analyze data from CPG firms to examine how factors such as leadership commitment, innovation capacity, and competitive pressure influence sustainable product launches. In terms of method, you will employ regression analysis to identify the key drivers of sustainable product launches. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights into the mechanisms that foster or hinder sustainability practices in the CPG industry.

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Title: Responding to the Unknown: Empirical Exploration of Startup Pivots in Uncertain Environments.

Topic Description: In the domain of business and entrepreneurship, a pivot refers to a strategic change in the direction of a venture to adapt to new information or changing circumstances (Grimes, 2018; Kirtley & O’Mahony, 2023). Popularized by Eric Ries in ‘The Lean Startup’ (Ries, 2011; Shepherd & Gruber, 2021), the concept has become a cornerstone for early-stage ventures operating in uncertain and dynamic markets (Allen et al., 2024). Although scholarly interest in entrepreneurial pivots has increased in recent years, empirical research remains relatively limited. Current studies primarily explore typologies of pivots and the underlying motivations and decision-making processes (Allen et al., 2024). However, large-scale empirical evidence on the phenomenon is still lacking.

This thesis seeks to address this gap by examining legacy data from various startup ventures to analyze the relationship between environmental uncertainty and the frequency or nature of pivoting behavior. Through the application of textual analysis techniques, the research aims to identify patterns that suggest how startups adapt their strategic direction in response to changing (market) demands.

*Python skills are advantageous.

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Title: Innovation and Distinctiveness: Friends or Foes? Analyzing Patterns in Corporate 10-K Reports

Topic Description: On one hand, optimal distinctiveness theory posits that actors strive to be both similar to and different from their peers simultaneously (e.g., Lounsbury & Glynn, 2001; Navis & Glynn, 2011; Zhao & Glynn, 2022), describing the strategic balance between differentiation and conformity that allows firms to be positively perceived by stakeholders. On the other hand, firms try to set themselves apart from the competition by being innovative. But how do these concepts coexist—*is being distinct inherently about being innovative?

This thesis aims to investigate the content of 10-K filings from different companies to examine the correlation between innovativeness and distinctiveness. The student will conduct a content analysis of these filings to identify patterns and differences.

*Python skills are advantageous.

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Last updated: September 22nd, 2025, 1 pm for the application from 29.09.-03.10.2025. Information subject to change.

Further details can be found in the specific examination regulations of your studies and exam organization at the ISC website.

Management - European Triple Degree (Master)

Please contact spanjol@lmu.de with Cc to the IIM office iim@som.lmu.de for further information.

Last updated on: September 22nd, 2025

for Master Program application, semester abroad

Requirements for student evaluation (Gutachten)

• Participation in at least one seminar or project course offered by our institute (grade better than 2.0).
• CV and grade transcript
• Motivation letter describing why you apply for a certain program (e.g., university), how you are qualified for this application and how our courses prepare you for your upcoming challenge
• An overview of all formal requirements necessary for the student evaluation (e.g., templates, deadline)

Application process

1. Please directly contact your (former) seminar/ project course supervisor and send all relevant documents.
2. Your supervisor will send the recommendation letter directly to the contact person at your respective institution.

Remarks

• Please note that this process will take between 2 and 4 weeks and no exceptions are possible.