Mission

Our institute is passionate about shaping the leaders and innovators of tomorrow, providing a blend of theoretical and practical education that prepares students for the dynamic challenges of the business world.

Teaching Approach

• Our teaching goals are designed to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their careers.
• We aim to provide students with theoretical knowledge, laying the groundwork for their academic and professional development.
• Students will acquire specific knowledge in scientific decision-making models, data analytics tools, quantitative methods, as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence for decision-making.

Practical Relevance

• Students gain insights from business practices, complemented by theoretical reflection seamlessly integrated into the curriculum.
• Using case studies and computer-based applications, students can apply their skills to solve complex, practical problems.
• Collaborations with industry partners through guest lectures, courses addressing real-world issues, we enable students to apply their theoretical knowledge to real-world problems.

Semester and Lecture Periods

The Accenture Campus Innovation Challenge is located within the project seminar of the master degree program International Management & Engineering (IWI) and provides a deeper understanding of how to develop a business solution in a real-life setting.

The Institute of Management and Decision Sciences supervises final theses dealing with Strategic Management, International Management, Global Sourcing & Supply Management, Human Resource Management, Organization, Marketing, and Quantitative Methods (e.g., forecasting, partial least squares (PLS) path modeling). To bring up detailed questions, do not hesitate to contact the responsible associate.

Application Process

Due to the growing demand, we will introduce an application process for the supervision of all kinds of final theses (e.g., master's thesis, bachelor's thesis, research projects). You can apply at any time - and you can expect a decision within a few days. Your application includes:

• Letter of Motivation
• CV
• Overview of Past Lectures and Grades
• Application Form
• Topic

In case you apply with your own topic, please add an exposé of 3 to 5 pages to your application, which highlights the challenges and objectives and envisaged structure of your project as well as the key literature related to the topic. Please ensure that your topic fits into the research areas of either our Ph.D. students or Prof. Ringle.

If you apply for more than one topic, it is not necessary to submit a motivation letter for each topic. You can state the topics and explain why you are interested in them in one letter. Due to the selection process, you will receive a response approximately two weeks after the application deadline at the earliest.

Please send your documents to mds-w9[at]tuhh.de

Guidelines for Thesis Writing

Please download our guidelines on academic writing (in German) and the Word template for thesis writing. You can use the TUHH PPT template for your presentation at our institute. We recommend the following books for basic knowledge on how to write an academic thesis:

• Bänsch, A., & Alewell, D. (2020). Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten. Walter de Gruyter.
• Gruba, P. & Zobel, J. (2017).How to Write Your First Thesis. Cham: Springer.
• Katz, M. J. (2009). From research to manuscript: A guide to scientific writing. Springer Science & Business Media.
• Sandberg, B. (2017). Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten von Abbildung bis Zitat: Lehr-und Übungsbuch für Bachelor, Master und Promotion. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.

The books are all available at the TUHH library.

Registration of Your Master's Thesis

1. After receiving a positive answer to your application and discussing all the necessary details with your supervisor, you download the suitable application form from the examination office, which you can find on the TUHH online portal.
2. Print it and fill out the first part of the form (marked with "I."). You can either fill out the form manually or digitally.*
3. Submit the form to the examination office (you do not have to hand it in personally; you can send it by post).
4. After checking the application, the examination office sends the form to the institute. In case you submit it personally, it is possible that you get the form back right away so that you can bring it to us directly.
5. In accordance with you, we fill out the rest of the form and send it back to the examination office.
6. Thereafter, you can see the submission date in the online portal.

* Please do not contact any institutes to look for a second examiner by yourself; our institute will contact and provide one for you.

Information on registering for your thesis

What to Consider Before Submitting

1. Check if you followed the guidelines and Word templates, which you can download above.
2. Make sure that your thesis includes an affidavit that you compiled the thesis single-handedly and that quotes can be identified as such. Your supervisor can help you with this.
3. When everything is ready, prepare two copies of your master's thesis (one for the first and one for the second examiner) with a glue binding. Spiral/ring bindings will not be accepted.
4. Enclose an electronic storage medium (e.g., CD or USB-Stick) with the PDF file of your thesis to the copy for the first examiner. Please also email a PDF file of your thesis to your supervisors.
5. Make a copy of the cover page for the examination office.

Submitting Your Master's Thesis

1. Submit the two copies of your master's thesis and a copy of the cover page to the examination office personally and not later than the submission date. Note that you can only submit it during the office hours of the examination office. In case your submission date is on a day when the examination office is closed, submit your thesis on the very next day possible.
   The office hours are on Mondays from 9.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. and on Thursdays from 1.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m. (Contact Examination Office).
2. Both copies will be stamped, and you will receive a sheet for your grade with the note that you submitted your thesis in due time.
3. Bring the copy with the electronic storage medium (e.g., CD or USB-Stick) and the sheet to your first examiner and the other copy to your second examiner immediately. Please also email a PDF file of your thesis to your supervisors.
4. If you submit the thesis via the mailbox in front of building E, your thesis and the evaluation form will be forwarded to your first and second examiners by in-house mail.
5. A few days after receiving the thesis, we will arrange a date for your presentation, which has to be within six weeks after the submission date.

List of Open Thesis Topics

• From Things to Bodies: A Literature-Based Comparison of Organizing Logics in the Internet of Things and the Internet of Bodies   [Johanna Lorenz]
• The Digitalized Body in Information Systems Research: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework   [Johanna Lorenz]
• Datafied Selves: The Impact of Quantified-Self Technologies on Personal Identity   [Johanna Lorenz]
• Work Values and Job Characteristics in the Contemporary Workplace: Alignments and Tensions  [Charlotte Kreienbaum]
• Impact of Agile Product Management on Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention: A Multi-Level-Perspective  [Charlotte Kreienbaum]
• Defensive Decision Making in Organizations: A Systematic Literature Review  [Charlotte Kreienbaum]
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Methods and Applications for Decision Making in Business Research [Prof. Ringle]
• Machine Learning Methods and Applications for Decision Making in Business Research [Prof. Ringle]
• Structural Equation Modeling: Methods and Application in Business Research  [Prof. Ringle]
• Monte Carlo Simulations for Decision Making  [Prof. Ringle]
• Prognosis and Time Series Analysis: Methods and Application in Business Research  [Prof. Ringle]
• Multilevel Models: Application in Business Research  [Prof. Ringle]
• On the Use of Discrete Choice Modeling to Make Product Design Decisions: Method and Application in Business Research  [Prof. Ringle]

We also welcome suggestions from students for their own thesis topics (e.g., cooperation projects with companies).