Call for Master Theses at IfSTO (October 2025)

Dear students,

The Institute for Strategy, Technology and Organization is currently looking for students who want to write their bachelor or master thesis at our institute with a focus on innovation. Your thesis may relate to how individuals or organizations create and capture value through innovation in the digital age. Research areas can include, but are not limited to the following three interrelated areas: 

1.  The paradigm shift towards open, user-centered and democratized innovation processes.

2. The role of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and/or machine learning for innovation processes: what role may such digital technologies play independently or in collaboration with human intelligence in different phases of the innovation process such as need recognition, ideation, evaluation & testing, development, and diffusion.

3. New forms of organizing innovation allowing organizations to rapidly adapt in highly dynamic and uncertain environments.

 

If you are interested in one of these areas please shortly draft on 2-3 pages an outline/essay along the lines given here and send this per email to Christopher.Lettl(at)wu.ac.at

The Gender Data Gap refers to circumstances where the majority of data on which organisational decisions are based are biased in favor of men. That is, data are often incomplete and unreliable because of the absence of information about women’s preferences, fit, etc. (e.g., devices designed to optimally fit male handspans, personal protective equipment designed for male bodies, and organisational practices such as informal networking over drinks in the evening, when women and caregivers are not present). Understanding Gender Data Gap effects is important for designing effective interventions to achieve gender equality all the way up the organisational ladder. To address this research gap, we are interested in Bachelor Theses which enlarge our current understanding of the Gender Data Gap’s (negative) impact on women as well as on organizations altogether. Possible questions, which can be focused on, are (but are not limited to):

1. How can our management and organization theories be extended and strengthened by making ‘invisible acts’ (e.g., instrumental work activities done by women that are neither recognized nor rewarded) more visible?

2. What assumptions in management and organisation studies must be revisited based on novel insights derived from efforts to close the Gender Data Gap?

 

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested in the topic, please contact:

Still today, women are significantly underrepresented in top executive positions. While progress towards a higher female rate has been made within the last years, the gender gap on top organizational level is still to be solved. Past studies have identified several factors which account for the gender gap, among them differences in network structures and access to knowledge and social resources, as they tend to disadvantage women in their career path. Even though precarious employment (e.g., part-time work, fixed-term contracts) has previously been acknowledged for its (negative) impact on female workers, its consequences have mostly been disregarded when examining the underrepresentation of women in top organizational positions. The aim of a Master Thesis in this field is to explore this topic further with a qualitative (interview study) or quantitative research study, for instance with regard to the factors causing the negative impact for women, future approaches which help to reduce the negative effects etc.

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to:

Digital sustainable entrepreneurship, so the embeddedness of digital technologies in sustainable business models of newly founded companies, has been in the centre of researchers’ interest for some time. While so far the focus has mainly been on the blended value propositions, the extensive opportunities which digital technologies offer for new sustainable business models has not been investigated in detail.

We therefore seek master theses which look into how existing sustainable business models can implement digital technologies. The focus of the master thesis could either be on the asset which existing companies could gain from applying certain new technologies, or on the difficulties and threats associated with their application (for instance, regarding tensions between financial value of sustainable products and the costs of value creation). Are there specific (internal or external) preconditions for a company’s successful implementation of digital technologies? What hinders, what supports their application? Which roles do the customers play in the (successful) implementation of such “digital sustainable business model innovations”?

If you are interested in this topic and would like to discuss it further, please get in contact with Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested in this topic and would like to discuss it further, please get in contact with

An ongoing discussion on gender-based factors in entrepreneurship has provided profound insights on several conditions which differ between women and men when starting a business, among them the distinct availability of resources and a discrepancy in the support provided by the founder’s ecosystem. However, once anticipating a successful foundation of the start-up, little is known on how/if the external perception of the venture with its associated success factors differs depending on who the founder is (see further the AMJ article by Kanze, Huang, Conley and Higgins, 2018: “We ask men to win and women not to lose: Closing the Gender Gap in startup funding”). We hence are interested in Master Theses which investigate the external perception of success, for instance through the analysis of newspaper data on startup success. How does the perception of female and male success differ? What is the different perception based on (e.g., personal characteristics, educational background, etc.)?

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to:

Reasons for the failure of innovative ideas before they enter the market have been discussed for a long time, ranging from internal lack of support within the organization, a lack of funding, to missing commitment from the firms’ decision makers etc. Besides these issues, one of the crucial obstacles during the organizational idea generation process is the missing identification of the real value of ideas, meaning the clear identification of the problem statement and the solution that is offered with the innovative idea.

Companies often struggle to identify this real value of new ideas early on. We hence seek bachelor theses which address and analyse reasons for failure that are caused by the missing identification of value, and develop ideas for organizational mechanisms that can alleviate these effects. Preferably, this will either be accomplished with a case study approach or with an in-depth qualitative analysis.

If you are interested in this topic and would like to discuss it further, please get in contact with Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested, please contact:

Lately, Artificial Intelligence has shown its high possible impact on businesses, including the increase of productivity and of improving operational efficiencies. However, one central factor which influences the success of AI applications are persistent data gaps.

One of the largest data gaps, the Gender Data Gap, refers to circumstances where the majority of data on which organisational decisions are based are biased in favor of men. That is, data are often incomplete and unreliable because of the absence of information about women’s preferences, fit, etc. With this topic for potential bachelor theses, we are seeking examinations of how AI will help to close (or potentially even severe) the persistent data gap, and how this will eventually impact the businesses and their productivity.

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested, please contact:

Previous studies have started to investigate the most relevant knowledge ties of managers within their networks. Especially when considering the vital role of innovations for organizations, the understanding of where the most important knowledge for innovation endeavors originates from is of high importance. While some studies have found out that predominantly the cross-hierarchical network ties can have a special impact on the generation of organizational innovations, we still aim to find out more about – among others – the specific type of knowledge transmitted between network partners as well as potential differences between managerial levels (e.g., top level vs. low level).

If you are interested in this topic and would like to discuss it further, please get in contact with Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested, please contact:

Research on start-ups has indicated that the factor of gender – both on founder side as well as on investor side – can have a significant impact on whether the start-up receives funding, how it is perceived on the market, as well as how (possible) success and (possible) failure are rated. To investigate this topic further and to analyze the specific conditions when gender has an effect, we are interested in Bachelor Theses in this field. The topic can be examined from different angles, among others:

(1)      Do investors, who finance a start-up idea, evaluate the same business idea differently when the idea is proposed by an all-male/all-female team or a mixed team? Why?

(2)      Do externals (e.g., media) evaluate a (un-)successful start-up differently when the founder of the start-up is male vs. female? Why?

(3)      What is the success/failure ascribed to (e.g., un/fortunate market conditions, personal factors, etc.) in case of a male vs. female founder?

If you are interested in this topic and would like to discuss it further, please get in contact with Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested, please contact:

Lately, Artificial Intelligence has shown its high possible impact on businesses, including the increase of productivity and of improving operational efficiencies. However, one central factor which influences the success of AI applications are persistent data gaps.

One of the largest data gaps, the Gender Data Gap, refers to circumstances where the majority of data on which organisational decisions are based are biased in favor of men. That is, data are often incomplete and unreliable because of the absence of information about women’s preferences, fit, etc. With this topic for potential bachelor theses, we are seeking examinations of how AI will help to close (or potentially even severe) the persistent data gap, and how this will eventually impact the businesses and their productivity.

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested in this topic and would like to discuss it further, please get in contact with:

Luxury companies are often associated with heritage, consistency and tradition. However, customers’ call for innovation increasingly also affects those tradition-driven firms. Therefore, a form of innovation that both adheres to those long-standing values of quality as well as the ongoing orientation towards change and newness arises. This bachelor thesis topic can either focus on product- or service-oriented luxury firms and investigates the art of luxury innovation in a qualitative study.

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to Dr. Sonja Sperber (sonja.sperber@wu.ac.at).

If you are interested in this topic, please send a short draft (max. 1 page) of your proposed topic along with the formulation of a specific research question and an outline for the thesis to:

Makerspaces are collaborative environments that provide access to tools, technology, and a community of like-minded individuals interested in hands-on creation. They play a crucial role in fostering innovation, knowledge sharing, and entrepreneurial activities. However, despite their increasing presence in the DACH region, little systematic research exists on their characteristics, the types of participants they attract, and their broader impact on innovation and collaboration.

Many open questions remain in this field, and bachelor or master theses could explore topics such as:

• What are the key characteristics that differentiate various types of makerspaces in the DACH region?

• Who are the typical participants of makerspaces, and what motivates them to engage?

• How do makerspaces foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among their members?

• What impact do makerspaces have on individual learning, skill development, and entrepreneurial activities?

• How can survey and interview data be used to generate a typology of makerspaces?

To address these questions, the research will be based on two complementary approaches:

1. Survey Study: A structured, quantitative approach to systematically assess the characteristics of makerspaces, their facilities, governance models, and the demographics of their participants.

2. Interviews with Makerspace Owners and Participants: A qualitative study to explore motivations, collaboration dynamics, and the perceived benefits and challenges of makerspaces.

 

Depending on the specific research question and methodological preferences, thesis projects could take different forms, including:

• Literature reviews: Synthesizing existing research on makerspaces, their role in innovation, and their impact on participants.

• Survey-based research: Designing, conducting, and analyzing a survey on makerspace characteristics and participants.

• Qualitative interviews/case studies: Conducting in-depth interviews with makerspace owners and participants to explore motivations and collaboration patterns.

• Mixed-method approaches: Combining surveys and interviews for a more comprehensive analysis.

If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Florian Nemetz (florian.peter.nemetz@wu.ac.at). If you already have a concrete idea, feel free to send a short draft (max. 2 pages) outlining your research question and methodological approach.

If you are interested, please contact:

Kurz-Vita

Florian Nemetz lehrt und forscht seit 2023 am Institut für Strategie, Technologie und Organisation als Universitätsassistent prae doc. Herr Nemetz absolvierte sein Bachelor und Master Studium an der Universität Salzburg in Psychologie und Soziologie.

Vor dem Einstieg als Universitätsassistent konnte Herr Nemetz bereits Arbeitserfahrung als Studienassistent im Bereich Soziologie globaler Ungleichheiten und Migrationssoziologie sammeln. Darüber hinaus war Herr Nemetz in der psychologischen Testentwicklung, in der psychologischen Diagnostik und als Datendisponent in der Psychotherapieforschung tätig. Des weiteren beteiligte sich Herr Nemetz an Forschungsprojekten zu den Themen Alter und Digitalisierung sowie Migrationssoziologie. 

Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly integrated into innovation processes to support ideation, problem-solving, and decision-making. While much research and practice focus on improving the accuracy of these models, their so-called “hallucinations”—outputs that are factually incorrect or speculative—can also hold creative potential.

In some contexts, these unexpected or unconventional responses may inspire new ideas, challenge existing assumptions, or open up novel directions in product and service innovation. Despite this potential, there is little systematic research on how LLM hallucinations can be purposefully leveraged to support creativity and innovation. Understanding their role could provide new insights into human–AI collaboration and expand how organizations use AI in early innovation stages. Many open questions remain in this area, making it a promising topic for bachelor’s or master’s theses, for example:

• How do hallucinations differ from intentional creative suggestions in human–AI interaction?

• In which ways can LLM hallucinations inspire new ideas, concepts, or problem framings during innovation processes?

• How do users perceive and respond to hallucinated outputs in ideation contexts?

• What methods or structures can help identify, evaluate, and refine useful hallucinations for innovation purposes?

• What ethical and practical considerations arise when intentionally using hallucinations in innovation?

To explore these questions, various methodological approaches can be used:

• Literature reviews: Mapping research on creativity, human–AI interaction, and the role of LLMs in ideation.

• Experimental studies: Observing how users interact with and respond to hallucinated outputs in innovation settings.

• Qualitative interviews / case studies: Exploring how organizations or individuals use unexpected AI outputs as creative triggers.

• Mixed-method approaches: Combining qualitative and quantitative methods to understand both mechanisms and outcomes.

If you are interested in this topic or would like more information, please contact Lea Scheiter (lea.scheiter@wu.ac.at).

If you already have a concrete idea, feel free to submit a short proposal (max. 2 pages) outlining your research question and methodological approach.

Kurz-Vita

Lea Scheiter lehrt und forscht seit November 2024 am Institut für Strategie, Technologie und Organisation als Universitätsassistentin prae doc. Im Jahr 2021 schloss sie ihr Bachelorstudium in „Business Administrations and Economics“ an der Universität Passau ab. Ihren Master of Science in „Applied Economics“ erwarb sie 2023 an der Universität Innsbruck.

Dabei spezialisierte sie sich in Wirtschaftspolitik sowie Verhaltens- und Experimentalökonomik.
Während ihres Bachelorstudiums verbrachte sie ein Auslandssemester an der Universität Turku in Finnland und drei Semester an der Technischen Universität München.

Als begeisterte Skilehrerin unterstützte sie außerdem zwei skibezogene Startups in München und Innsbruck bei der Organisation von Events. Darüber hinaus sammelte sie erste Berufserfahrungen in der Wirtschaftsprüfung während eines Praktikums bei KPMG Austria.

User Innovation Platforms are digital environments where users collaboratively develop ideas, improve products, and drive innovation. In recent years, AI technologies have begun to play an increasingly important role in these spaces. They can accelerate innovation processes, support creativity, automate feedback, and assist in decision-making. However, little systematic research exists on how AI is actually integrated into such platforms, how it shapes collaboration, and what opportunities and challenges arise for organizations, communities, and individual users. Many open questions remain in this field, and bachelor’s or master’s theses could explore topics such as:

• What types of AI technologies are currently being implemented on user innovation platforms, and how do they transform innovation processes?

• How does AI affect collaboration dynamics and the distribution of roles among users, companies, and platform operators?

• What opportunities and risks do participants perceive when AI is integrated into these platforms?

• How does AI influence the balance between human creativity and automated support?

• What governance and ethical questions emerge as AI becomes an integral part of collaborative innovation processes?

To address these questions, various methodological approaches can be used, including:

• Literature reviews: Synthesizing existing research on user innovation platforms and the role of AI in innovation.

• Survey-based research: Designing and conducting surveys to assess perceptions, usage patterns, and impacts of AI features.

• Qualitative interviews / case studies: Exploring experiences of users, platform operators, or organizations integrating AI.

• Mixed-method approaches: Combining quantitative and qualitative methods for a comprehensive analysis.

If you are interested in this topic or would like more information, please contact Lea Scheiter (lea.scheiter@wu.ac.at).

If you already have a concrete idea, feel free to submit a short proposal (max. 2 pages) outlining your research question and methodological approach.

Kurz-Vita

Lea Scheiter lehrt und forscht seit November 2024 am Institut für Strategie, Technologie und Organisation als Universitätsassistentin prae doc. Im Jahr 2021 schloss sie ihr Bachelorstudium in „Business Administrations and Economics“ an der Universität Passau ab. Ihren Master of Science in „Applied Economics“ erwarb sie 2023 an der Universität Innsbruck.

Dabei spezialisierte sie sich in Wirtschaftspolitik sowie Verhaltens- und Experimentalökonomik.
Während ihres Bachelorstudiums verbrachte sie ein Auslandssemester an der Universität Turku in Finnland und drei Semester an der Technischen Universität München.

Als begeisterte Skilehrerin unterstützte sie außerdem zwei skibezogene Startups in München und Innsbruck bei der Organisation von Events. Darüber hinaus sammelte sie erste Berufserfahrungen in der Wirtschaftsprüfung während eines Praktikums bei KPMG Austria.

New Product Development (NPD) increasingly relies on collaboration between different stakeholders, including users, experts, and organizations. These interactions can generate valuable ideas, accelerate development processes, and lead to more innovative and user-centered products.

With the growing availability of AI technologies, collaboration in NPD is undergoing a fundamental shift: AI can support idea generation, automate routine tasks, facilitate decision-making, and act as a creative partner. However, systematic research is still limited on how AI shapes the collaboration between users and experts in NPD, how roles and responsibilities are redistributed, and what new opportunities and challenges arise for innovation management. Many open questions in this field offer exciting avenues for bachelor’s or master’s theses, for example:

• How does AI influence the interaction between users and experts during the different stages of product development?

• In which ways does AI act as a facilitator, co-creator, or mediator in collaborative NPD processes?

• How do users and experts perceive the value and limitations of AI support?

• How does AI integration affect decision-making, creativity, and ownership of ideas?

• What skills, structures, or governance mechanisms are needed to make AI-enabled collaboration effective and responsible?

Possible methodological approaches include:

• Literature reviews: Mapping and synthesizing research on collaboration in NPD and the role of AI.

• Survey-based research: Investigating perceptions, experiences, and outcomes of AI-supported collaboration.

• Qualitative interviews / case studies: Exploring real-world examples of user–expert collaboration supported by AI.

• Mixed-method approaches: Combining quantitative and qualitative perspectives to build a richer understanding of the phenomenon.

If you are interested in this topic or would like more information, please contact Lea Scheiter (lea.scheiter@wu.ac.at).

If you already have a concrete idea, feel free to submit a short proposal (max. 2 pages) outlining your research question and methodological approach.

Kurz-Vita

Lea Scheiter lehrt und forscht seit November 2024 am Institut für Strategie, Technologie und Organisation als Universitätsassistentin prae doc. Im Jahr 2021 schloss sie ihr Bachelorstudium in „Business Administrations and Economics“ an der Universität Passau ab. Ihren Master of Science in „Applied Economics“ erwarb sie 2023 an der Universität Innsbruck.

Dabei spezialisierte sie sich in Wirtschaftspolitik sowie Verhaltens- und Experimentalökonomik.
Während ihres Bachelorstudiums verbrachte sie ein Auslandssemester an der Universität Turku in Finnland und drei Semester an der Technischen Universität München.

Als begeisterte Skilehrerin unterstützte sie außerdem zwei skibezogene Startups in München und Innsbruck bei der Organisation von Events. Darüber hinaus sammelte sie erste Berufserfahrungen in der Wirtschaftsprüfung während eines Praktikums bei KPMG Austria.