Thesis Top­ics

Disruptive companies such as FinTechs, RegTechs, LegalTechs or HealthTechs have set themselves the goal of breaking up the value chains of traditional companies.

• Which companies have succeeded and why?
• What are the critical success factors?
• What are the implications for the further development of these companies?
• Etc.

Contact:  Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

The Institute regularly carries out a quantitative survey with those responsible for sourcing in the largest German companies. We are interested in what challenges managers see in the topic of sourcing today and in the near future.

Previous studies were each published with great success, e.g.:
Gewald, Heiko and Schäfer, Leonie (2017) Quo vadis outsourcing? A view from practice. Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing, 10 (1). pp. 2-17. ISSN 2398-5364

The concrete design of the empirical procedure is determined in close consultation with the supervisor.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

Many companies employ management consultants to manage large and complex projects. The working relationship between counselors and their clients is still largely unexplored. Exciting questions are, for example:

• How does know-how transfer between consultant and customer take place?
• What role does personal "closeness" between consultant and customer (e.g. same degree) play in the project work?
• Which critical success factors (in the relationship between customer and consultant) increase the chances of successful project work?

Contact:  Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

The introduction of digital technologies into products, e.g. of the manufacturing industry, creates new opportunities for innovation that companies must address in order to remain competitive. At the same time, new opportunities are opening up for corporate customers of these products to run their own business. However, this requires the involvement of customers in the innovation process. Companies that do this well not only achieve a good competitive position, but also strengthen their future viability.

Although this connection is generally recognized, there are some gaps in the research: What role does the involvement of customers play in the short and long-term success of digital innovation? Which methods are effective for involving customers in the development of digital innovation?

Accordingly, in this thesis, conceptual and theoretical foundations from digital innovation research are to be derived from the literature and tested on the basis of an empirical study. The concrete design of the topic takes place in consultation.

Contact:   Prof. Dr. Heinz-Theo Wagner

The advancing digitization enables customers to flexibly select from various digital offers and to combine them with each other (the so-called user recombination) so that an individualized product is created. These individualized products are usually made up of offers from different manufacturers and are constantly changed and adapted over their lifetime.

As a result, products are created through both manufacturer innovation and user recombination. A prominent example is the smartphone, the functionality of which is very much determined and regularly adapted by the intended use of the user and the configuration of different apps.

In research, little is known about which factors are decisive for users in the selection and recombination of different digital resources. Just as little is known about how a product changes through user recombination and how it differs between user groups over time. Accordingly, in this thesis, conceptual and theoretical foundations from digital innovation research are to be derived from the literature and tested on the basis of an empirical study. The concrete design of the topic takes place in consultation.

Contact:  Prof. Dr. Heinz-Theo Wagner

Digital health technologies (websites, platforms, social networks, apps, wearables, etc.) aim to positively influence the health and well-being of consumers.

However, little is known in research about which factors influence potential eHealth users in their adoption and use of such technologies and what influence actual eHealth use has on the health and well-being of users.

Accordingly, on the basis of theoretical models and empirical studies, new insights into the adoption, use and ideally also the effects of eHealth should be gained.

An empirical study can be carried out both qualitatively (interviews with consumers) and/or quantitatively (questionnaires), with a quantitative study being preferred. The "general" population as well as special groups such as senior citizens or patients can serve as subjects.

The selection of the theoretical bases/models, research method, target group and type of eHealth technology are determined in consultation with the supervisor of the thesis.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

The online evaluation of doctors (e.g. on Google or jameda) remains an exciting topic. In Germany, this form of doctor assessment still leads a shadowy existence, but is becoming increasingly important.

Examples of interesting questions are:

• How does the doctor's cognitive assessment work in the patient?
• Why do some patients write reviews and others don't?
• Can the number of evaluations be increased through creative measures by doctors?

The specific topic is determined in consultation.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

Due to demographic change, aging people are increasingly becoming the focus of society and the economy: increasing health risks, increasing social isolation, declining self-determination. Increasing digitalization is creating completely new opportunities – for example through social platforms, IT wearables and mobile applications – to achieve general well-being, social inclusion, active health care and thus a longer, self-determined life for the aging population.

However, a prerequisite for the development of this potential is that people or seniors make use of these technologies - and the actual use of these technologies by seniors often takes place only to a small extent. Older people tend to say "I'm too old for computers" - they associate their age with technology use. However, it has also been shown that people often do not "feel as old" as they actually are: subjective age and chronological age are not always consistent.

Little is known in research about the influence of this subjective assessment of one's own age on IT acceptance and use. Accordingly, in this thesis, conceptual and theoretical foundations from "aging research" are to be derived from the literature and tested on the basis of an empirical study in the context of IT acceptance. The specific design of the topic takes place in consultation.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

Due to demographic change, aging people are increasingly becoming the focus of society and the economy: increasing health risks, increasing social isolation, declining self-determination. Increasing digitization creates a problem area that has so far received little attention.

For practically every piece of software, hardware, apps, etc., users have to authenticate themselves, usually by entering a PIN or password. However, the aging society has to contend with two problems: declining memory and declining motor skills. Passwords are easily forgotten, biometric recognition and entering passwords are made more difficult by trembling fingers, for example. If more and more activities are digitized, while at the same time society is getting older, we are faced with a dilemma.

Creative mechanisms are being sought for how users can authenticate themselves securely and unequivocally, taking into account the problems outlined above. In terms of research methods, a wide range of interviews and surveys about controlled experiments and the use of the usability lab at the HNU is available. This topic can therefore also be worked on independently by several students. The concrete design of the topic and the empirical procedure is determined in close consultation with the supervisor.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

Congestion, noise and air pollution - urban mobility is one of the most challenging issues of the 21st century. More and more people live in cities and metropolitan areas and are dependent on a functioning transport system. In addition to public transport, e-scooter sharing services have been providing another sustainable option as an alternative to the use of private cars in cities for several years.

The thesis will first analyze user behavior in the city centers of Ulm/Neu-Ulm. For this purpose, user data from the largest e-scooter provider (TIER) in the region will be used and analyzed.  Furthermore, this user data will be compared with the route networks of public transport in order to deduce whether e-scooters are used in addition to or instead of public transport.

Within the scope of the final thesis, the following research questions are to be answered:

• What is the current state of research in the (IS) literature on e-scooter use and the impact on public transportation?
• What is the mobility behavior of e-scooter users in the city centers of Ulm/Neu-Ulm?
• How does the use of e-scooters in the city centers of Ulm/Neu-Ulm influence the use of public transport?

The thesis must be written in English. The specific topic is determined in consultation with the student.

Contact: Sina Zimmermann

The analysis of large amounts of data offers companies new opportunities to optimize their business model. When is a potential customer receptive to a discount campaign? Which medium should be chosen for this? What influence do context variables, such as the weather, have? As part of this thesis, the data (number of customers, turnover, etc.) from Donaubad Ulm / Neu-Ulm GmbH should be systematically analyzed, recommendations for improving the customer journey developed and, if necessary, tested as a prototype. The thesis is carried out in cooperation with the Donaubad Ulm / Neu-Ulm GmbH. This offers its customers a wide range of services, such as an adventure pool and an ice rink.

The specific tasks include:

Identification of relevant context variables Preparation and aggregation of the data analysis of the data Derivation of recommendations for action If necessary, prototypical testing of the recommendations The specific topic is determined in consultation.

The task can be designed as a bachelor's or master's thesis.

Contact: Thomas Schulz

Traffic jams, noise and air pollution - urban mobility is one of the most challenging issues of the 21st century. More and more people are living in cities and metropolitan areas and are dependent on a functioning transport system. But although the public transport network in German cities is already very well developed and the negative effects of car traffic are well known, many people still do not use sustainable means of transport in everyday life.

This thesis deals with the question of how the use of different technologies such as mobility apps and incentive mechanisms can make public transport in a city more attractive. The work includes a literature analysis of previous experiments with incentive mechanisms in the mobility sector. Furthermore, preliminary studies and initial data collection are to be carried out and evaluated.

The research questions of the work can be summarized as follows:

Which experiments on incentives for sustainable mobility behavior are there in the literature so far?

What can a meaningful experiment design look like? What are the factors to consider when designing and running an experiment?

Contact:  Sina Zimmermann (opens in a new window)

The analysis of large amounts of data offers companies new opportunities to optimize operational processes and their business model. As part of this thesis, a management dashboard is to be designed for the existing data (utilization, power consumption, humidity, temperature, etc.) of Donaubad Ulm / Neu-Ulm GmbH. The Donaubad Ulm / Neu-Ulm GmbH offers its customers a wide range of services, such as an adventure pool and an ice rink.

The specific tasks include:

• Systematic collection of existing data Determination of the needs of different interest groups (management, gastronomy management, etc.)
• Identification of relevant external data Development of a holistic concept

The specific topic is determined in consultation.

The task can be designed as a bachelor's or master's thesis.

Contact: Thomas Schulz

Digitization offers companies new opportunities to optimize operational processes. As part of this thesis, a concept for the parking area surveillance of the Donaubad Ulm / Neu-Ulm GmbH should be created. The various technical options (camera, sensors, etc.) that are available for parking space surveillance are to be examined with regard to their technical and economic feasibility. The (prototypically) generated data should then be aggregated with external data (weather forecast, current weather, etc.) and forecasts for parking space utilization should be derived.

The thesis is carried out in cooperation with the Donaubad Ulm / Neu-Ulm GmbH, which offers its customers a wide range of services, such as an adventure pool and an ice sports facility. The specific tasks include:

• Checking the technical and economic feasibility of different solutions
• Identification of relevant external data Preparation of forecasts for parking space utilization

The specific topic is determined in consultation.

The task can be designed as a bachelor's or master's thesis.

Contact: Thomas Schulz

The permanent challenge of marketing consists in recognizing the needs and desires of the customers quickly, individually and precisely and to satisfy them accordingly. However, a good half of all customers see further need for action on the part of companies. The analysis of the emotional state offers new possibilities for optimally segmenting customers and thus serving their needs in the best possible way. Possible use cases include, for example, targeted marketing, chatbots that react to emotions or making the queue dynamic. However, there are a few obstacles to overcome on the way to precise emotion extraction. The biggest hurdle, especially in German-speaking countries, is the poor or missing data basis. First, it is a relatively new field of research. On the other hand, the intonation of emotions varies across cultures and languages, which means that an analysis based on a non-German dataset does not lead to satisfactory results. Before random data is collected, many interesting questions arise: How do (potential) customers feel about the extraction of their emotions by AI for marketing purposes? In which environment (B2C/B2B) are young adults (customers) particularly willing to have their emotions analyzed? Which channels (voice, facial expressions, text) are best suited for emotion extraction? How can such an analysis be carried out in compliance with data protection? These and many other topics can be addressed in the course of a thesis.

The exact design of the topic and the procedure is determined in close consultation with the supervisor.

Contact:  Fabian Thaler (opens in a new window)

Language-based systems are becoming increasingly important. Companies like Google and Amazon invest large sums in the propagation of their respective systems. Little is known about the mechanisms that promote or prevent the use of such systems. Data protection is probably a big issue, especially in Germany. But maybe also a missing benefit? Or is the application considered too difficult? Many question marks accompany this question. The observation of young and old people is also of great interest.

Are there systematic differences here? The institute would like to research this question further and has purchased a set of Amazon Alexa devices for this purpose, which can be used in an empirical study. We are happy to assign the work as a tandem to several students who share a jointly developed theoretical core and investigate different groups of (potential) users. The exact design of the topic and the empirical procedure is determined in close consultation with the supervisor.

Contact: Maximilian Haug (opens in a new window)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Due to the increasing average life expectancy, especially in developed societies, the number of those affected is constantly increasing. Since AD ​​is defined by a gradual disappearance of memory and other cognitive functions, including language, at an early stage, it is obvious that the latter should be the focus of attention. Machine learning methods in particular have proven to be very encouraging.

However, there is a lack of research on mobile applications related to the diagnostic procedure. The aim of this thesis is to develop a conceptual framework that is suitable for use in a mobile application that supports the diagnostic process by recognizing pathological speech patterns with the help of machine learning methods. The exact design of the topic and the procedure is determined in close consultation with the supervisor.

Contact:  Fabian Thaler (opens in a new window)

Misinformation has emerged as one of the biggest societal problems on social media. So-called "fake news" is shared daily by millions of users on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Misinformation has always been a problem in societies. Social media, however, offers mechanisms that favor the spread of those. The thesis deals with the peculiarities of social media. In particular with the mechanism that allows users to give each other feedback on their likes and shares. This can be done in the form of private messages or directly as a comment.

The aim of the project is to find out what specific influence the feedback from the social media community has on future sharing of content. The research questions of the work can be summarized as follows: What influence will public comments, or private messages in response to the sharing of fake news, have on information sharing in the future? Which aspects of the feedback are relevant so that a change can be seen? How does perceived public opinion affect content sharing?

The specific topic is determined in consultation.

Contact: Maximilian Haug (opens in a new window)

Classification of the different forms of collaboration and exchange of views on health in social media. Sample questions:

• Why do people interact with strangers in these topics?
• What is the influence of professional moderation?
• Classification of users and forms of interaction

The specific topic is determined in consultation.

Contact:  Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald (opens in a new window)

Misinformation has emerged as one of the biggest societal problems on social media. So-called "fake news" is shared daily by millions of users on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Misinformation has always been a problem in societies. Social media, however, offers mechanisms that favor the spread of those. Furthermore, fact checkers are increasingly influencing the social media network The thesis deals with the possibility for users of social media to use the internet to verify information.

The aim is to examine whether users actively verify information when they are given the opportunity to do so. For example, hyperlinks should be offered as a possibility for verification in order to find out how intensively users deal with information. Furthermore, it should be found out under which circumstances users even consider verifying information. The research questions of the work can be summarized as follows:

• Under what circumstances do users consider verifying information?
• How high or low are the barriers users are willing to cross to verify information?
• What influence do individual differences have in the use of verification strategies?

The specific topic is determined in consultation.

Contact:  Maximilian Haug (opens in a new window)