Please use the following guidelines for your bibliography:

• AMJ Style Guide
• AMJ Reference Overview
• Word Template for Thesis

• Application form (online from June 06 - 20, 2025)
• Letter of  Motivation
• Short CV including High School Diploma 
• Current Transcript of Records of your bachelor's program 

(as one pdf) directly to the respective coordinator of the topic. 

Please check the website of the examination office for all information on registration.

For confirmation of the completed application for admission, please contact the administration office of the chair.

Digital Platforms and Ecosystems: A Literature Review of the Latest Research

This thesis focuses on research about digital platforms, which “use[...] technology to connect people, organizations, and resources in an interactive ecosystem in which amazing amounts of value can be created and exchanged” (Parker, van Alstyne, & Choudhary, 2016: 10) and their surrounding ecosystem over the last two years.
The primary objective is to capture recent developments by conducting a literature review that spans relevant academic disciplines (e.g., management, information systems, marketing,…) and builds on and extends existing research.

Methodology:

• Conduct a literature review across relevant academic disciplines.
• Identify and categorize key themes in the literature.

The Emotional Cost of Fieldwork: Exploring Researcher’s Experiences in Extreme Contexts

• Conducting organizational research in extreme contexts—such as war zones, disaster areas, high-stress healthcare environments, or ethically volatile workplaces—can have profound psychological and emotional effects on researchers. Despite growing interest in extreme contexts, little attention has been paid to the emotional labor, trauma exposure, and psychohygienic strategies (i.e., mental health self-care and support mechanisms) of the researchers themselves. 
• This thesis explores research and its approaches in extreme contexts in a literature review.

For more details please contact Hendrike Werwigk directly

Local vs. national media coverage of organizations

Situation:

• Media coverage plays a crucial role in shaping public perception of organizations (Graf-Vlachy et al., 2020; König et al., 2018) 
• Local vs. national press may portray organizations differently, potentially influencing support, sponsorship, and reputation (Curran et al., 2017; Prislin & Wood, 2005)
• We focus on Bundesliga clubs as “ideal natural laboratory” for studying organizational behavior (Kilduff et al., 2016) 
• Pot. Research Question: How are Bundesliga football clubs perceived over time in local vs. national newspapers?

Goal of the thesis:

• To systematically compare the sentiment and thematic framing of media reports on Bundesliga clubs in local vs. national newspapers
• To ensure manual classification and validation of media snippets by club and sentiment
• To explore the influence of a control variable (e.g., club performance, rivalry performance, market size, or fan base engagement) on media approval

Type of thesis:

• Manual labeling of news snippets from all 18 Bundesliga teams across 5 seasons
• Quantitative sentiment analysis of all relevant newspaper snippets
• Potential integration of a control variable in the statistical model (optional)

The Relationship Between Stigma and Legitimacy in Management Research: A Literature Review

The relationship between stigma and legitimacy is the subject of a vibrant discussion in management research. In this vein, scholars offer contrasting perspectives on whether the two social evaluations are located on one single continuum or represent different constructs (Ashforth, 2019).
The primary objective is to identify how management scholars position their research within this debate by conducting a systematic literature review.

Methodology:

• Conduct a literature review on the relationship between stigma and legitimacy in management research.
• Identify and categorize key themes in the literature.

For more details and concrete topics please contact Verena Kummer directly