Masterarbeit
Grundsätzlich haben Studierende, die an unserem Lehrstuhl ihre Masterarbeit schreiben möchten, die Möglichkeit, eine forschungsorientierte oder eine praxisorientierte Masterarbeit anzufertigen.
Voraussetzung für die Anfertigung einer Masterarbeit an unserem Lehrstuhl ist die erfolgreiche Absolvierung eines Seminars MKT 7X0 an einem der Marketing-Lehrstühle (LS Homburg MKT 710, LS Stahl MKT 720, LS Kuester MKT 730, LS Kraus MKT 740 oder LS Vomberg MKT 750).
Wir empfehlen, die Masterarbeit an dem Lehrstuhl zu schreiben, an dem die Seminararbeit geschrieben wurde, da so eine frühzeitige Einbindung in die jeweiligen Forschungs- und Projektarbeiten des Lehrstuhls ermöglicht wird.

Informationen zur Masterarbeit
Forschungsorientierte Themen
Strategisches Marketing
Bridging the Gap: Strategic Value and Cross-Functional Integration of Digital Product Passports in Business Operations
Betreuerin: Alin Schröder
In the face of evolving regulatory standards and consumer expectations, Digital Product Passports (DPPs) offer a promising means of enhancing transparency and traceability throughout the product lifecycle. DPPs not only support sustainability goals but also offer strategic value across various business functions, from enhancing supply chain transparency to informing consumers and aiding regulatory compliance. However, successful implementation comes with challenges, as multiple business functions must work together to align their goals, processes, and data requirements to fully leverage DPPs.
This master’s thesis aims to (1) investigate the strategic and operational value propositions DPPs hold for companies, (2) analyze how DPPs are effectively integrated across broader business functions such as marketing, operations, and sustainability, (3) identify the operational and technical challenges companies encounter when implementing DPPs, and (4) explore methods for overcoming these barriers to achieve cohesive integration across organizational structures. Through expert interviews with professionals across multiple business functions, the thesis will provide actionable insights into the cross-functional impact of DPPs and practical strategies for effective implementation.
The selection of underlying theories, formulation of specific research questions, and the methodology can be determined individually. This master’s thesis may also be written in German.
Produkt- und Innovationsmanagement
Success factors for the use of Artificial Intelligence in new product development
Betreuerin: Nicola Weber
Artificial intelligence offers promising opportunities for new product development. Despite the reported benefits of AI in new product development, the adoption rate seems quite low. Potential impediments to adoption are outlined based on numerous studies. Recognizing potential hurdles and opportunities at an early stage makes it possible to develop a holistic strategy for the successful implementation of AI in new product development.
Concerning this background, the superordinate goals of this master thesis are (1) to review and systemize relevant academic literature, (2) to identify success factors and potential hurdles of AI applications in new product development (cross-industry), and (3) to elaborate which managerial implications can be derived. Expert interviews might be conducted to analyze this topic. More specific research questions and the way of inquiry can be determined individually.
This master's thesis may also be written in German.
Preismanagement
Personalized Pricing Strategies in Retail: A consumer-centric Perspective
Betreuerin: Rebecca Boritzki
One way for companies to remain competitive is to implement personalized pricing. Personalized pricing is a strategy that sets different prices for the same product based on a customer's purchase history, location, and browsing behavior. While it may increase sales opportunities, it simultaneously may also risk customer loyalty or consumer trust.
The superordinate goals of this master's thesis are (1) to review and systemize relevant academic literature, (2) to identify consequences for customer perceptions, and (3) to offer insights for businesses looking to improve their pricing strategy by examining how personalized pricing affects customer responses in different retail contexts, such as e-commerce vs. brick-and-mortar.
For the investigation of this topic, an experiment or a survey could be meticulously designed, with specific research questions and methodology tailored to the unique aspects of the study. This master's thesis also offers the flexibility of being completed in German.
Exploring the success of LinkedIn and OpenAI: An analysis of the sales and pricing approach of customer-centric companies
Betreuerin: Aline Lanzrath
In today's business world, companies such as LinkedIn and OpenAI exemplify the customer-centric B2C2B approach, which has emerged as a distinctive approach in which companies target intermediary users to facilitate connections and attract business customers. Unlike the traditional B2B or B2C models, B2C2B is navigated through intermediary entities (e.g. employees) that play a pivotal role in mediating transactions between companies (e.g. employees asking the company for access to premium features and purchase decisions). Understanding the dynamics of B2C2B transactions is an interesting area of research that offers insights into the complex interplay between companies, intermediaries and end consumers.
This master's thesis aims to fill this gap by investigating the success factors of such customer-centric businesses within the B2C2B paradigm. The main objectives are (1) to review and systematize the relevant academic literature, case studies and academic literature on this approach, (2) to investigate the sales strategies used by LinkedIn and OpenAI to attract intermediary users to facilitate B2B connections (e.g. which value proposition works best for an employee to convince their company to adopt LinkedIn Premium), (3) analyzing the pricing models to meet the needs and preferences of different stakeholders within the B2C2B ecosystem, including end users, businesses and intermediary users. To analyze this topic, a series of expert interviews with industry experts should be conducted.
When freedom in pricing works best: Unraveling the puzzle of optimal authority delegation
Betreuer: Sebastian Junker
The delegation of pricing authority (PAD) from sales managers to representatives introduces a crucial strategic lever in optimizing sales force performance. However, the conditions under which this freedom in pricing delivers optimal outcomes remain underexplored.
This master thesis investigates the moderating factors—e.g., stakeholders’ interferences with the corporate decision to PAD —that influence the success of pricing delegation. Specifically, it (1) delves into when the optimalbalance of pricing freedom and decision effectiveness in companies can be reached, (2) empirically tests the impact of moderators on delegation outcomes, and (3) provides actionable recommendations for optimizing delegation practices in sales force management.
This master thesis may also be written in German.
It’s your time to shine! How delegation of pricing authority affects information asymmetry
Betreuer: Sebastian Junker
Embracing the spotlight, the delegation of pricing authority from sales managers to representatives marks a pivotal shift in the dynamics of information flow within organizations. This shift potentially strengthens or mitigates the information asymmetry impacting effective decision-making.
This master thesis delves into the nuanced interplay between delegation and information asymmetry by (1) conceptualizing how the delegation between sales managers and representatives influences the information asymmetry dynamics among them and the customer, (2) validating empirically the effects of potential antecedents on pricing authority delegation, and (3) offer actionable insights for practitioners on optimizing sales force management and pricing strategies.
This master thesis may also be written in German.
Individualization is dead, long live individualization! How tailoring decision authority influences pricing decisions
Betreuer: Sebastian Junker
Given current trends in individualization and personalization, organizations also face challenges regarding the decision for authority delegation in pricing. By acknowledging the diversity of each sales team member, organizations may harness the potential of PAD at the individual level. However, this comes with many issues concerning practicability and fairness.
This master thesis explores how tailoring the delegation of pricing authority affects its effectiveness in driving better pricing decisions. Specifically, it (1) conceptualizes the impact of individualized delegation on decision-making effectiveness within corporate structures, (2) empirically examines the outcomes of personalized delegation strategies in sales management, and (3) provides recommendations on how to practically individualize sales representatives’ decision authority to optimize pricing outcomes.
This master thesis may also be written in German.
Vertriebsmanagement
Business-to-Government: Understanding Public Buyers
Betreuer: Florian Holz
Governments belong to the largest customers in the world. Every year, public authorities spend enormous amounts of money on goods and services. In fact, public procurement spending accounts for about 15% of the gross domestic product in many countries. Consequently, governmental customers can be highly lucrative for private companies. However, selling to governments differs from the B2B and B2C context in several dimensions. In particular, public buyers may have different priorities (e.g., public stakeholder interests vs. shareholder interests) and face different incentives (e.g., stability vs. innovation) than buyers from private companies.
Against this background, the superordinate goals of this master thesis are (1) to review and systemize literature on public procurement behavior, (2) to identify key drivers of public buyer behavior, and (3) to outline recommendations for suppliers on how to approach and persuade public buyers.
To analyze this topic, expert interviews or a survey might be conducted. More specific research questions and the way of inquiry can be determined individually.
This master thesis may also be written in German.
Buyer Motivations in B2B Purchasing Decisions: An Exploratory Study
Betreuerin: Guzi Huang
Today, B2B companies are under increasing stakeholder pressure to integrate sustainable products into their supply chain. However, there is a lack of understanding of how individual B2B buyers make sustainable purchasing decisions, especially when faced with competing interests. In particular, it remains unclear what extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, both on the organizational and personal level, influence buyers’ purchasing decisions for sustainable products, especially their trade-offs between price and sustainability.
Against this background, the overall objectives of this thesis are (1) to review and systematize the relevant academic literature on buyer motivations in B2B purchasing decisions, (2) to provide an overview of the factors influencing B2B buyers’ purchasing decisions for sustainable products, and (3) to empirically investigate the influence of competing interests on buyers’ price-sustainability trade-offs in B2B purchasing decisions.
More specific research questions can be defined individually. The empirical study requires a semi-structured expert interview with B2B buyers. Please note that this thesis may only be written in English.
Navigating the Digital Landscape: Unraveling the Nexus of Digital Sales Competencies, Psychological Climate, and Sales Performance
Betreuerin: Aline Lanzrath
In the rapidly evolving field of digital sales, the interplay between salespeople’s digital sales skills and a supportive psychological sales climate is emerging as a critical factor in sales performance. However, despite the pervasive influence of digitalization, academic attention to the interactions between digital competencies and the psychological climate within teams remains limited, particularly in the context of marketing and sales performance. For example, managers still do not know which salespeople’s competencies are most likely to thrive in which sales team climate (e.g., depending on whether it is competitive or collaborative, short-term or long-term goal-oriented, and extrinsic or intrinsic motivation-focused).
This Master’s thesis aims to fill this gap by systematically analyzing the relationship between digital sales competencies, psychological climate, and sales performance. The main objectives are (1) to review and systematize the relevant scientific literature on digital sales competencies and psychological climate in sales, (2) to identify interactions between competencies and climate that predict sales performance, and (3) to develop practical implications for HR and sales managers to help them manage the performance of their sales teams in the digital age. A survey or expert interviews may be used to analyse this topic.
Compensating today’s key account management teams: Is fixed salary really king?
Betreuer: Sebastian Junker
In sales, there is a shift towards agile, cross-functional teams – “pods”, among others, concentrating expertise from different areas. Despite the tendencies toward agility and flexibility, especially KAM requires long-term planning and customer relationship management that focuses on growth over a long time rather than servicing existing customers (Gartner 2019). New, changing team structures call for a structural review of how to manage KAM teams considering all organizational success factors, amidst which incentivization and compensation have not been the focus so far.
Against this background, the superordinate goals of this master thesis are (1) to review and systemize relevant academic literature on team compensation, (2) to identify the antecedents as well as consequences of fixed versus variable pay on key account management teams, and (3) to discuss how firms can effectively adapt, optimize and customize their compensation structure as demanded by today’s team skills and role variety.
To analyze this topic, a survey or expert interviews might be conducted. More specific research questions and the way of inquiry can be determined individually.
This master thesis may also be written in German.
Leveraging Diversity in Sales: The Impact of Inclusive Strategies on B2B Customer Acquisition and Immigrant Integration
Betreuerin: Aline Lanzrath
Diversity in sales teams is increasingly recognized as a key factor in addressing the needs of multicultural customer bases, particularly in B2B markets. However, the role of diversity in shaping sales strategies and fostering societal integration remains an underexplored area of research. The aim of this master’s thesis is to analyze how diverse sales teams influence customer acquisition and engagement in B2B and sales contexts. Specifically, the thesis will address the following objectives:
- Conduct a systematic review of the academic literature on diversity in sales and its implications for B2B customer interactions.
- Investigate how racial and ethnic diversity within sales teams impacts their ability to engage with multicultural business clients.
- Analyze the contribution of selling organizations to immigrant integration through inclusive employment practices.
For the empirical analysis, a survey with sales professionals will be conducted to explore their experiences, strategies, and challenges in addressing diverse customer needs. To do so, a collaboration with a leading direct selling organization will provide access to sales practitioners and support the investigation of practical applications of inclusive sales strategies.
Kommunikations- und Kundenbeziehungsmanagement
Framing Value: Assessing Different Strategies in Business-to-Business Sales
Betreuer: Florian Holz
According to framing theory, the way in which messages are presented (“framed”) influences how receivers interpret the information and make decisions. In business-to-business (B2B) sales, framing theory may help to explain varying consumer responses to different value presentations. Relevant framing differences may occur along different factors. For example, salespeople may frame the value of their products and services as productivity gains or cost savings. Understanding how customers react to those framing differences in different selling situations can help salespeople to frame their value arguments effectively.
The superordinate goals of this master thesis are (1) to review relevant literature on framing in marketing and sales, (2) to examine customers’ response to key differences in value presentations under different conditions and (3) outline how companies can utilize framing effects for their sales activities.
To analyze this topic, expert interviews or a survey might be conducted. More specific research questions and the way of inquiry can be determined individually.
This master thesis may also be written in German.
Seeing Value: How User-Generated Visuals Enhance the Helpfulness of Online Reviews for Consumer Decision-Making
Betreuerin: Alicia Pett
In an increasingly digital shopping environment, reviews serve as critical sources of information; however, text-based reviews alone may lack the immediacy and clarity that visuals can provide. This study investigates how user-generated visuals contribute to review helpfulness by providing consumers with a more concrete, trustworthy view of products, addressing questions like authenticity, product quality, and practical use.
By examining the effects of these visuals, the superordinate goals of this master thesis are (1) to review and systemize relevant academic literature, (2) to identify what makes a review genuinely helpful, (3) to offer insights for businesses looking to improve their digital feedback strategies.
An experiment might be conducted to analyze this topic. More specific research questions and the method of inquiry can be determined individually.
This master thesis may also be written in German.
Corporate Influencers: Employees as brand ambassadors
Betreuerin: Aline Lanzrath
Lately, more and more companies have been harnessing the power of influencing as part of their marketing and communication strategies. Defined as employees who use their personal digital platforms to communicate about company-related issues, corporate influencers play a crucial role in representing the organization to the public and communicating its core values. By sharing insights into their work and the company, they bridge the gap between the organization and the public, providing insights into products, services, and corporate values. As a result, companies expect to see tangible benefits in areas such as employer branding and employee engagement, as well as improvements in brand awareness, corporate image, and, ultimately, sales and profits.
However, the effectiveness of Corporate Influencers in achieving these ambitious goals remains a subject of debate. This Master’s thesis aims to delve into the nuances of Corporate Influencer Marketing by addressing the following research questions: (1) To what extent do Corporate Influencers contribute to achieving organizational goals? (2) Is the investment in corporate influencers justified, and if so, how should companies structure their relationships with these influencers to maximize benefits?
Against this background, the aims of this thesis are (1) to review and systematize the relevant academic literature on (corporate) influencer marketing and sales, (2) to identify the opportunities and risks of using corporate influencers, and (3) to elaborate on the contingencies that determine the overall success of influencers. To analyze this issue, a survey or expert interviews may be conducted.
Sonstige Themenfelder
Fades and Fashions in Marketing Research
Betreuerin: Aline Lanzrath
The world of marketing and sales is constantly changing due to constant organizational, scientific, technological and economic changes. To remain relevant, academic researchers must incorporate these trends into their research. But is this actually the case in today's academic research world, or do researchers lag behind the actual developments in the business world? The goal of this research is to identify trends in the scientific discourse in marketing and sales by examining temporal changes in the occurrence of words or expressions in research articles, identifying latent research topics and thus identifying trending issues. For this purpose, abstracts and articles published in the field of marketing in the years 2000 to 2020 might be analyzed with the help of tidytext in R.
Falls Sie sich für ein Thema interessieren, kontaktieren Sie bitte direkt den entsprechenden Betreuer oder die entsprechende Betreuerin.
Ferner besteht die Möglichkeit, eigene Themen vorzuschlagen. Kontaktieren Sie hierzu bitte zunächst Alin Schröder.
Praxisorientierte Themen
Unsere praxisorientierten Themen beziehen sich entweder auf Fragestellungen mit explizitem Branchenbezug, oder mit Fragestellungen, die in Kooperation mit einem bestimmten Unternehmen behandelt werden.
Themen mit Branchenbezug
Aktuell haben wir keine Themen mit Branchenbezug ausgeschrieben.
Arbeiten in Kooperation mit Unternehmen
Aktuell haben wir keine kooperationsbasierten Themen ausgeschrieben.
Bei Fragen zu den branchenbezogenen Themen kontaktieren Sie bitte direkt den entsprechenden Betreuer oder die entsprechende Betreuerin. Bei Fragen zu den Arbeiten in Kooperation mit Unternehmen wenden Sie sich bitte an Alin Schröder.
Falls Sie eigenständig den Kontakt zu einem Unternehmen aufnehmen möchten, sollten Sie vorab mit uns Rücksprache halten.