Bachelor's thesis

All information regarding the bachelor's thesis for the degree program Business Administration at our chair can be found on ILIAS. 

Each bachelor thesis is based on three current research papers, which are first analyzed and set into context. Based on this analysis, an own research proposal is developed. 

Example 1

Wang et al. (2025), Sun et al. (2025), and Exner et al. (2025) each examine AI as part of the customer journey. Livestream AI assistants were shown to reduce purchase uncertainty, voice-based ordering was found to reduce effort in repeat purchases, and the impact of AI generated images used in ads. This bachelor thesis found that none of the previous research observed examined AI mediating the customer journey in its entirety. Building on this gap, the thesis proposes an experiment comparing an end-to-end conversational AI interface with traditional search when consumers purchase an unfamiliar product, examining effects on pre-purchase expectations, return intention following negative disconfirmation, and the attribution of responsibility between the AI and the consumer.

• Wang L, Huang N, He Y, Liu D, Guo X, Sun Y, Chen G (2025) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assistant in Online Shopping: A Randomized Field Experiment on a Livestream Selling Platform. Information Systems Research 36(4):2358-2374.
• Sun C, Shi Z, Liu X, Ghose A (2025) The Effect of Voice AI on Digital Commerce. Information Systems Research 36(2):1147-1166.
• Exner Y, Hartmann J, Ding Z, Zhang S, Netzer O (2025) AI in Disguise: Quasi-Experimental Analysis of a Large-Scale Deployment of AI-Generated Ads. Columbia Business School Research Paper No. 5096969. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.5096969.

Example 2

Vaccari and Chadwick (2020), Schanke et al. (2026), and Wei et al. (2022) examine synthetic media from three distinct perspectives. Political deepfakes were found to generate uncertainty, which is undermining trust in social media news. Voice-based deepfakes were shown to induce trust even when participants were informed of their artificial origin. Combined crowd and machine intelligence frameworks to detect false news at scale were shown. This bachelor thesis found that none of the previous research examined how users respond once a warning label has been applied to manipulated content. Building on this gap, the thesis proposes an online experiment that varies the warning label attached to deepfake videos.

• Schanke S, Burtch G, Ray G (2026) Digital Lyrebirds: Experimental Evidence That Voice-Based Deep Fakes Influence Trust. Management Science 72(1):386–405.
• Wei X, Zhang Z, Zhang M, Chen W, Zeng DD (2022) Combining Crowd and Machine Intelligence to Detect False News on Social Media. MIS Quarterly 46(2):977-1008.
• Vaccari C, Chadwick A (2020) Deepfakes and Disinformation: Exploring the Impact of Synthetic Political Video on Deception, Uncertainty, and Trust in News. Social Media + Society 6(1).

Example 3

Zhang et al. (2026), Gao and Tavoni (2024), and Amaral et al. (2026) demonstrate that sustainability-related information and AI-based forecasting can influence investor attention, consumer choice, and organizational energy consumption. This bachelor thesis found that no previous research has examined AI-generated nudges as an intervention in themselves. Building on this gap, the thesis proposes an experiment within a simulated environment to examine whether AI-generated nudges increase the selection of lower-emission options.

• Zhang X, Xu D, Hong H, Chan K (2026) Attention or Sentiment: How Social Media React to ESG? Information Systems Research 37(2):1323-1336.
• Gao Y, Tavoni M (2024) Forget-Me-Not: The Persistent Effect of Information Provision for Adopting Climate-Friendly Goods. Management Science 70(7):4480-4501.
• Amaral C, Kolsarici C, Ikonen I, Robitaille N (2026) Practice Paper—AI-Driven Behavioral Nudges for Organizations: An Integrative System for Sustainable Resource Management. Marketing Science 45(3):675–695.

All information regarding the bachelor's thesis for the degree program Business Informatics at our chair can be found on ILIAS.