Master Theses

To complete the Master of Arts in International and European Business, students have to write a master thesis in English. The master thesis has to be written in connection to one of the courses taken within the program. Generally, any professor who offers courses that can be accredited towards the MA in International and European Business can supervise master theses in the program. The Chair for International Management offers to supervise master theses. It is generally a prerequisite that a student who intends to write her/his master thesis at the Chair for International Management has successfully participated in at least one of the courses offered by the chair.

  • In general, the master thesis counts for 18 ECTS and has a writing phase of 7 months (2 months for the proposal acceptance and 5 for the thesis writing)

Different approaches are possible:

  • Students can submit a provisional research proposal for a specific topic that they wish to analyze in their master thesis. Obviously, the topics have to be related to the fields of International Management and/or European Business – possibly discussed in one of the lectures. In this case, the provisional proposal is evaluated, and if the chair agrees, the student can work under the guidance of the chair to develop a full proposal which is then the starting point for the master thesis.
  • Students may adopt a research topic suggested by the chair. In this case they should contact the chair first to discuss some ideas in order to facilitate the process of developing a provisional/final proposal. 

Simultaneously with the provisional proposal or the first contact with the chair, students have to provide the chair with a list of their grades and a short CV. Regarding the supervision the chair does not guarantee a specific supervisor, therefore you can be allocated to any of the chair’s employees according to their availability.

  • The proposal should be a short paper (ca. 3 pages) including:
  • A short introduction with the relevance of the topic
  • The main questions (research question(s)) to be answered
  • The planned methodology (e.g. is it planned to do expert interviews, is it planned to carry out a large-scale empirical survey, etc.)
  • A short literature review of the topic
  • A (provisional) table of contents

The proposal should already use relevant academic sources and the chair`s template. In addition to that, citations should be according to the chair’s guidelines. After the first meeting and the official acceptance of the supervision of the thesis by the chair, the student has 2 moths for the acceptance of the proposal by the chair.

After acceptance of the proposal, the student generally has 5 months for the master thesis, a time during which consultation hours by the chair are offered upon request of the students. Students may be invited to present the status of their thesis and their ideas within a colloquium with other master students.

Master theses have to be written following the formal guidelines of the chair, which can be downloaded here. To facilitate the application, we highly recommend using the MS-word template that we provide and that you can download here.

Master theses have to be written following the formal guidelines of the chair which can be downloaded here. To facilitate the application, we highly recommend using the MS-word template that we provide and that you can download here. 

Types of Master Theses 

Generally, three types of master theses are possible at the chair:

  • Empirical research oriented theses: 
    Students intend to finish a research project by themselves which includes an empirical survey, e.g. of companies or of consumers, and the necessary statistical analyses. Generally, the first part of such a master thesis has to contain a thorough review of the existing literature and previous studies on the topic. Then, a conceptual framework and the basis for a questionnaire have to be developed and finally the empirical study results have to be discussed.
  • State of the art oriented theses: 
    Students analyse systematically and thoroughly the existing (high-level) literature concerning a specific topic and explain the state-of-the-art as well as existing research gaps.
  • Practice-oriented theses:
    Students who intend to work closely with a specific company for the preparation of their master thesis, e.g. in the context of an internship, write about a specific problem of this company and analyse potential problem solutions. Alternatively, the specific situation in an industry can be analysed using one or several case studies from within the industry as empirical foundation. 
    However, it has to be emphasised that a master thesis is still an analytic – and not merely a descriptive – work which is based on a theoretical and conceptual foundation and has to fulfil a high academic standard. Even in the case of a practice-oriented master thesis, it is not a consulting paper for a company. 

Selection of topics for Master theses 

Below you will find a list of topics that the Chair proposes as Master theses:

  • What types of online shops exist? A development of a typology from the consumer perspective
  • Internationalisation and Digitalization of Manufacturers’ Services – An analysis of the options of manufacturers to provide their services cross-border
    State-of-the-art: What has literature shown about that? Which categorisations of services are proposed in literature? Are there already insights on the advantages/disadvantages of the different forms of providing digital services across borders?
  • Business Models and Internationalisation – A state-of-the-Art analysis
    State-of-the-Art: What has been found in existing literature and previous studies? How does the Business Model of a Company Influence the Internationalization?
  • Business Models and Internationalisation – Analysing case studies
    How does the Business Model of a Company Influence the Internationalization? Use several case studies to show how certain elements of the business model are linked to certain internationalisation strategies (e.g., how fast the company internationalizes, or which entry modes are used).
  • Exploring the Role of Organizational Culture in Fostering Strategic Resilience in MNCs Management
  • Exploring the Role of Organizational Structures and Governance in Driving Organizational Resilience in MNCs
  • Stakeholder Management and Organizational Resilience – How do the relationships with stakeholders influence the organizational resilience of MNCs?
  • Resilient Supply Chain Strategies in International Operations
  • Geopolitical Pressure and Resilience Responses of MNCs (in Europe)
  • The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Organizational Resilience in International Business
  • The Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Organizational Resilience of MNCs
  • Establishing Organizational Resilience in MNCs through Strategy Planning
  • Lessons learned? How post-crisis learning strengthens organizational resilience in MNEs.
  • Top-Management Teams’ Influence on Organizational Resilience – Evidence from MNCs
  • Change Management Practices and Organizational Resilience: How to Build a Resilient MNC
  • Building Strategic Alliances and Partnerships for Organizational Resilience of MNCs in Global Markets
  • How are Organizational Structures of MNCs associated with the Corporate Strategy? – Case studies from multinational consumer goods companies
  • Corporate Culture as Coordination Instrument in MNCs – Analysis of case studies
    Corporate culture can help to coordinate international activities, e.g., because the employees share the same values and “know” how they should act in this company. How exactly are these mechanisms working in specific companies? How is the corporate culture influencing how the employees across different countries act?
  • The Role of E-commerce Platforms in Swiss Retail
  • Platform Economy - Examining the role of marketplaces in facilitating B2B transactions
  • Platform Economy - Examining the role of marketplaces in facilitating B2C transactions
  • Omnichannel Retailing Success Stories: An analysis of best practices and key success factors
    This topic would involve examining successful omnichannel retailers (case studies) and identifying the strategies and tactics they use to create seamless and integrated customer experiences across multiple channels.
  • Mapping the Customer Journey in Omnichannel Retailing: Understanding touchpoints, pain points, and moments of truth.
    This topic would involve analyzing the customer journey in omnichannel retailing, and identifying the key touchpoints, pain points, and moments of truth that shape the customer experience.
  • Customer Relationship Management of a Multichannel Retailer: What are the key challenges and opportunities for retailers in managing customer relationships across multiple channels?
  • CRM of a Multichannel Retailer: How do retailers use data analytics and customer insights to personalize the shopping experience and build customer loyalty?
  • CRM of a Multichannel Retailer: How do retailers measure the effectiveness of their CRM strategies, and what metrics are used to evaluate customer satisfaction, loyalty, and lifetime value?
  • Measuring the Effectiveness of Omnichannel Retailing Strategies: Metrics and KPIs
    This topic would involve developing a framework for measuring the effectiveness of omnichannel retailing strategies, and identifying the key metrics and KPIs that retailers can use to evaluate their performance and optimize their initiatives.
  • Nonfood-Discounter in Europe – International players vs. local heroes
    How is the competitive situation between international players, like Action and Kik, vs. many purely domestic players
  • Gescheiterte Lebensmittel-Online-Shops in Deutschland: Eine Multi-Case-Study-Analyse
    Thesis in German or in English