Master's Thesis Winter Term 2026/27
General information about the Master's thesis at the BIM chair
Before you consider to apply for thesis supervision at the BIM chair, please carefully read the following:
1) Do not write your thesis if at the same time you plan to work full time, do an internship, travel the world, or still need to do a large number of other courses! The thesis is an integral part of your study program and, thus, should be in the focus of your attention. You will need all the time to be able to deliver the best package (we fully understand that most of you have a student job and this is perfectly doable). All students who despite our warnings still started a full-time job or internship struggled with finishing their thesis in time and delivering the desired quality. YOUR thesis should be YOUR first priority!
2) Only write your thesis if you are commited, motivated, and responsible as well as willing to accept new challenges! If you consider to write your thesis at the BIM chair you should be well-organized, be able to motivate yourself to achieve your goals, and be willing to independently learn new skills (e.g., learn new statistical approaches largely on your own). Writing your thesis with us inlcudes to go beyond what you have learned in your scientific project, your seminars, and lectures. We expect that you are proavtive and motivated as well as able to largely do this on your own. Our job is to reduce uncertainty. Be prepared for all meetings and show us that you invest effort and time to solve issues yourself. This is YOUR thesis, work for it!
3) We are not your personal assistant. Our job is to supervise your thesis with respect to the topic and method as well as the general content and process (e.g., literature search, writing, etc.). It is not our job to remind you of deadlines, to fill out your documents, or to replace your own efforts to understand the submission procedure. All this information is publicly available on the website of our faculty, specifically the examination office. We are not your internet search engine substitude. If you schedule a Zoom meeting with your supervisor, it is your responsibility to send him/her a Zoom link from your official OVGU Zoom account (https://ovgu.zoom.us/).
This is YOUR thesis, YOU need to organize it!
- Registration form Master's thesis: Click here
- Submission procedure of your Master's thesis: Click here
- General information for your study program (including all information in case of illness): Click here
4) Time problems on your side do not create time pressure on our side! It is part of the mission of the BIM chair to provide students with timely answers to their questions as well as a timely feedback and grading after submission. Time constraints on your side do NOT create time issues on our side. Our aim is to answer questions and requests via e-mail within two working days. We are usually much faster than that, but if you send your question Friday late in the afternoon, you cannot expect an answer on the same day. Organize yourself and try walking in the shoes of the members of the BIM chair. The same applies to the situation once you have submitted your final thesis. If you want to start a job or internship, have visa requirements or travel plans, if you want to/need to move out of your apartment, or if you want to get back your semester fee, this is all your business and your responsibility. We have eight weeks to finish the grading of your thesis (see the study regulations), and while we aim for a much shorter time, it will not always be possible to finalize within two weeks. Each member of the BIM chair at any given point in time during the year is supervising at least five Master's thesis students, five Bachelor's thesis students, seminars, scientific projects, and several internships. We simply cannot take into account all particularities for each and every supervised student, as this would already completely fill our schedule. All submitted theses are graded on a first come, first served basis. If you need your grade as soon as possible, make sure to submit early. YOUR issues, YOUR business!
Master's Thesis Organization at the BIM chair
Master's thesis supervision at the BIM chair during winter term 2026/27 is organized in the following way:
Application: Apply for Master's thesis supervision no later than September 15th 2026 before midnight (deadline) and send it via e-mail to Ida-Anna Thiele (ida-anna.thiele@ovgu.de). Prepare a max. two page motivation letter (including a priority list of three topics from the BIM chair list or your own topic proposition - see below), a CV, and the transcripts of all Master's and Bachelor's grades in a single pdf document - use free of charge online tools to transfer and merge your documents. Please send us the most recent transcript of your current Master's degree to ensure that all grades from the Summer term 2026 are already included (if possible). Name the file with your last name and '_Thesis_App', e.g. 'Schlaegel_Thesis_App.pdf'.
Selection criteria: Preference in the selection of Master's thesis students will be given to excellent students who participated in the scientific projects of the BIM chair. The selection is not based on first come, first served. We always recommend you to apply at several chairs at the same time. There is no guarantee that you will be offered a place at your preferred chair/the BIM chair. We supervise a maximum of 10 Master's theses per semester, which is far more than we have capacity for.
Notification: Applicants are going to receive information about the result of the selection no later than September 18th 2026.
Topic: You are welcome to (a) propose your own topic (but make sure that you have access to data so you can test your hypotheses), or (b) make a priority list of three topics from the BIM chair list of potential topics. Topic issues will NOT be discussed before October. Please indicate the number of the topic (e.g., Topic 1) in your priority list. The topic preferences you send us should not be changed after the end of the application period, as we will try to assign you to a supervisor considering your first priority.
Cooperations with companies: It is generally possible to write your thesis in cooperation with a company. Please note that we only supervise theses in cooperation with a company if the topic has a strong connection to Behavioral International Management. Before signing any agreements with external partners, please discuss your thesis plans with us. Supervision is only possible if the topic fits and sufficient capacity is available. A signed agreement with a company does not automatically secure supervision. The regular application deadline and timeline for completing the thesis in collaboration with a company also apply here.
Timeframe: A total of 22 weeks are available for the thesis - a four week "reading" period and a 18 week "writing" period (to be graded in the Winter term 2026/27, the thesis needs to be finished by the end of March, including the thesis submission and defense).
Reading period: Start of the four-week reading period is no later than October 28th 2026
Registration: The thesis registration and start of the 18-week writing period is no later than November 25th 2026 (the registration document is available on the website of the examination office - registration form Master's thesis: Click here).
For the thesis registration, please check (a) again if you fulfill all the requirements to register for the Master's thesis before sending us the registration form and (b) then send us your current transcript of records together with the registration form via e-mail. If it becomes apparent after the reading period has begun that you do not meet the requirements (for example, because you have failed a course for which you had not yet received a grade), please let us know IMMEDIATELY.
For IMME students starting their studies before WT24/25, the main requirements for the Master's thesis registration are: the successful completion of (1) at least 75 credit points including all compulsory modules, (2) at least one specialization section, and (3) at least one seminar worth 10 credit points (click here for the official examination regulations).
For IMME students starting their studies from WT24/25 onwards, the main requirements for the Master's thesis registration are: the successful completion of (1) at least 75 credit points including all compulsory modules, (2) 5 CP in the area of “scientific work”, and (3) at least one seminar worth 10 credit points (click here for the official examination regulations).
For BWL/Business Economics students starting their studies before WT24/25, the main requirements for the master thesis registration are: the successful completion of (1) at least 75 credit points, (2) at least two specialization sections (please consider the particularities for the specializations "Marketing and E-Business" and "Economics"), and (3) at least one seminar worth 10 credit points (click here for the official examination regulations).
For BWL/Business Economics students starting their studies from WT24/25 onwards, the main requirements for the Master's thesis registration are: the successful completion of (1) at least 75 credit points, (2) 5 CP in the area of “scientific work”, (3) at least two specialization sections (please consider the particularities for the specializations "Marketing and E-Business" and "Economics"), and (4) at least one seminar worth 10 credit points (click here for the official examination regulations).
Supervision approach: An important aspect of the Master's thesis is to work independently on the topic. Individual supervision meetings should not exceed four to five appointments of 30 minutes each (not including a meeting to specify the topic). In the meetings, your supervisor is not a substitute for your own efforts to solve problems. Thesis supervision does not include prior review of parts of the thesis or a "first draft". All thesis supervision meetings take place face-to-face on campus.
Formatting guidelines: All material (formatting rules, Word template, presentation examples, etc.) will be provided to accepted students via e-learning.
Defenses (mid-term): All thesis defenses take place in January 2027 (15 minutes presentation of your current state and 10 minutes questions - the ppt slides do not need to be submitted earlier) - about 45 to 60 minutes in total to have time for feedback.
Submission: Submission of the thesis is no later than March 31st 2027 (see the website of the examination office for further details on the submission requirements and process - submission procedure of your Master's thesis: Click here).
Questions: Please read the above carefully. If you have any questions not answered by the above information, contact Ida-Anna Thiele (ida-anna.thiele@ovgu.de).
Important dates summary:
| Application: | Until midnight on September 15th 2026 via e-mail (ida-anna.thiele@ovgu.de) |
| Notification: | Until September 18th 2026 |
|
Kick-off meeting |
October 14th 2026 |
| Reading period: | Start no later than October 28th 2026 |
| Writing period: | Start no later than November 25th 2026 |
| Thesis registration: | No later than November 25th 2026 |
| Mid-term presentations/thesis defenses: | January 2027 (tbc) |
| Thesis submission: | Latest by March 31st 2027 (see the official deadline after registration in the LSF) |
Potential Master's thesis topics
These are broad topics and they need to be specified in the individual meetings with your supervisor. In your application, please indicate your three priorities (e.g., Priority 1: Topic 5). Own research ideas are very welcome, but also need to be discussed sufficiently in advance. Usually, all students can work on their first priority.
Topic 1: Determinants of expatriation intention: A meta-analytic review of boundary conditions
The willingness of individuals to temporally relocate for work (i.e., expatriation intention) is a critical factor for the success of multinational corporations. Research has identified several determinants of expatriation intention, including cultural intelligence (CQ), representing the psychological ability to function in diverse settings, and language proficiency (LP), representing the technical tool for communication. However, we still lack a profound understanding of the boundary conditions when CQ and LP are related to expatriation intention.
This Master’s thesis aims to provide a comprehensive meta-analytic synthesis of CQ and LP as determinants of expatriation intention. By focusing on moderator analyses, the study aims to uncover the boundary conditions that strengthen or weaken these relationships, providing a more nuanced understanding of global mobility drivers. The thesis includes a comprehensive critical review of the most common definitions, conceptualizations, and measurements of CQ, LP, and expatriation intention. The thesis should further include an abstract, an introduction to the topic (including a short summary of the results), a detailed and replicable description of the literature search process, applied analytical techniques, the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of moderators), and a discussion of the findings and their implications for the field. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search, coding, and analysis of articles on the relationship between CQ/LP and expatriation intention. The literature search involves the use of a variety of databases and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies will be meta-analytically synthesized to extract the main findings, and the role of moderators will be examined. The meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the current state of knowledge of the relationship between CQ/LP and expatriation intention, identify gaps in the current research, and suggest areas and methodological approaches for future studies.
Starting literature
Ng, K. Y., Van Dyne, L., & Ang, S. (2012). Cultural intelligence: A review, reflections, and recommendations for future research. In A.M. Ryan, F.T.L. Leong, & F.L. Oswald (Eds.), Conducting Multinational Research: Applying Organizational Psychology in the Workplace (pp. 29-58). American Psychological Association. Link: https://soonang.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Ng_Van-Dyne-Ang-2012-CQ-review-reflections.pdf
Tenzer, H., Terjesen, S., & Harzing, A. W. (2017). Language in international business: A review and agenda for future research. Management International Review, 57(6), 815-854.
Schlaegel, C., Richter, N. F., & Taras, V. (2021). Cultural intelligence and work-related outcomes: A meta-analytic examination of joint effects and incremental predictive validity. Journal of World Business, 56(4), 101209.
Wang, C. H., Varma, A., Hung, L. S., & Wu, P. Y. (2024). A meta‐analysis of the antecedents of employee willingness to expatriate. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 62(1), e12359.
Topic 2: Causal inference and endogeneity in international management and international business: A systematic review
Over the past years, leading scholars in international management (IM) and international business (IB) have called for greater methodological rigor, particularly regarding endogeneity and causal inference. Issues such as self-selection, omitted variable bias, and reverse causality are inherent in IM/IB research. While the awareness of these problems has grown, it remains unclear how consistently and effectively remedies (e.g., instrumental variables) are applied across different sub-fields of IM/IB. This Master’s thesis aims to systematically review how endogeneity and causal inference are addressed in top-tier IM/IB journals. The objective is to identify which methodological standards have become best practice and which areas of IM/IB research still lag behind the credibility revolution.
Key tasks include:
Systematic literature search in top-tier IM/IB journals (GSJ, IBR, JIBS, JIM, JWB, MIR, MBR, TIBR) to identify quantitative studies that addressed endogeneity concerns (i.e., studies that explicitly mention endogeneity, specific causal identification strategies, or related keywords).
Development of a coding sheet to identify the type of endogeneity, the statistical remedies applied, and the transparency of the reporting of these statistical tests used to rule out endogeneity concerns.
Methodological synthesis of the advancement of IM/IB research in terms of endogeneity and causality in different research streams.
This is an advanced topic specifically designed for students who wish to understand the complexities of data and research design. It is highly suitable for those with a strong interest in quantitative methodology or those considering a future PhD path.
Starting literature
Chandler, J. A., Johnson, N. E., Jordan, S. L., & Short, J. C. (2023). A meta-analysis of humble leadership: Reviewing individual, team, and organizational outcomes of leader humility. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(1), 101660.
Hill, A. D., Johnson, S. G., Greco, L. M., O’Boyle, E. H., & Walter, S. L. (2021). Endogeneity: A review and agenda for the methodology-practice divide affecting micro and macro research. Journal of Management, 47(1), 105-143.
Reeb, D., Sakakibara, M., & Mahmood, I. P. (2012). From the editors: Endogeneity in international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 43(3), 211-218.
Topic 3: The relationship between expatriate personality traits and work-related outcomes: A meta-analytic review
Individuals’ personality traits are commonly measured with the Five-Factor Model of Personality (Big Five), encompassing emotional stability, openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. The objective of this master thesis is to provide an overview of the previous research investigating the relationship between the Big Five and several work-related outcomes along the expatriation process (e.g., expatriation intention, cross-cultural adjustment, job and life satisfaction, job performance, turnover intention, among others). The thesis includes a comprehensive critical review of the definitions, conceptualizations, and measurements of personality traits and the investigated work-related outcomes and provides an overview of previous meta-analyses and reviews on this topic. The thesis should further include an abstract, an introduction to the topic (including a short summary of the results), a detailed and replicable description of the literature search process and applied analytical techniques, the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of moderators and mediators), and a discussion of the findings and their implications for the field. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search, coding, and analysis of articles on the role of the Big Five in the expatriation context (i.e., conceptual articles, qualitative studies, and quantitative studies).
The literature search involves the use of a variety of databases and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies will be meta-analytically synthesized, and the role of moderators and mediators will be examined. The meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the current state of knowledge of the role of the Big Five, identify gaps in the current research, and suggest areas and methodological approaches for future study.
Starting literature
Caligiuri, P. M. (2000). The big five personality characteristics as predictors of expatriate's desire to terminate the assignment and supervisor‐rated performance. Personnel psychology, 53(1), 67-88.
Han, Y., Sears, G. J., Darr, W. A., & Wang, Y. (2022). Facilitating cross-cultural adaptation: A meta-analytic review of dispositional predictors of expatriate adjustment. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 53(9), 1054-1096.
Harari, M. B., Reaves, A. C., Beane, D. A., Laginess, A. J., & Viswesvaran, C. (2018). Personality and expatriate adjustment: A meta‐analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 91(3), 486-517.
Topic 4: Cross-cultural training and expatriate success: A systematic review of meta-analytic evidence and an updated meta-analysis
This Master’s thesis topic addresses a sophisticated methodological and theoretical challenge in international human resource management: evaluating the true efficacy of Cross-Cultural Training (CCT) on expatriate adjustment. Moving beyond a foundational understanding of "if" training works, this research requires a two-phased approach: a systematic review of existing meta-analyses followed by the conduct of an original meta-analysis of primary empirical studies. By synthesizing decades of high-level data from landmark reviews (e.g., Deshpande & Viswesvaran, 1992; Littrell et al., 2006; Chenyang, 2022), you will first evaluate the evolution of the field and identify critical gaps or inconsistencies in how "adjustment" has been historically measured. In the second phase, you will apply rigorous meta-analytic techniques—including the calculation of pooled effect sizes (r or d), assessment of heterogeneity (I2), and testing for publication bias via funnel plots—to integrate recent primary research into a new empirical synthesis. This allows for a deeper analysis of moderating variables, such as training rigor (didactic vs. experiential), cultural distance, and the role of "micro-learning" in a digitalized global workforce. Ultimately, this thesis aims to provide a "state of the science" report that bridges the gap between theoretical models, such as Social Learning Theory, and the practical needs of multinational corporations seeking to mitigate the high costs of expatriate failure. This topic is ideal for students looking to develop advanced skills in quantitative synthesis and evidence-based management.
Starting literature
Chenyang, L. (2022). Meta-analysis of the impact of cross-cultural training on adjustment, cultural intelligence, and job performance. Career Development International, 27(2), 185-200.
Deshpande, S. P., & Viswesvaran, C. (1992). Is cross-cultural training of expatriate managers effective: A meta analysis. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 16(3), 295-310.
Littrell, L. N., Salas, E., Hess, K. P., Paley, M., & Riedel, S. (2006). Expatriate preparation: A critical analysis of 25 years of cross-cultural training research. Human Resource Development Review, 5(3), 355-388.
Morris, M. A., & Robie, C. (2001). A meta‐analysis of the effects of cross‐cultural training on expatriate performance and adjustment. International Journal of Training and Development, 5(2), 112-125.
Topic 5: Determinants of performance in international virtual teams: A meta-analytic review
The increasing prevalence of virtual teams, fueled by technological advancements and the globalization of workforces, has significantly impacted organizational dynamics, presenting both opportunities and challenges. This master’s thesis aims to conduct a meta-analytic review focused on quantitative empirical studies to investigate the determinants that influence the effectiveness of international virtual teams. The key factors to be examined include communication methods, trust-building mechanisms, leadership styles, cultural diversity, technological tools, and team cohesion, among others with an emphasis on how these elements affect team performance, member satisfaction, and overall productivity in virtual settings. The thesis will offer an overview of prior meta-analyses and systematic reviews related to this topic. The structure of the thesis will include an abstract, an introduction to the topic (with a brief summary of the key findings), a detailed and replicable methodology section outlining the literature search process and the analytical techniques used, the results of the meta-analysis (including an examination of moderators and mediators), and a discussion of the findings with their implications for practice and future research. The meta-analysis will involve a thorough literature search, coding, and synthesis of quantitative empirical studies that explore the impact of various determinants on virtual team success. The literature search, potentially aided by artificial intelligence tools, will utilize multiple databases and adhere to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure the selection of relevant and high-quality studies. The results will be quantitatively synthesized to provide an assessment of the current state of knowledge on the determinants of virtual team effectiveness, identify gaps in the existing research, and propose areas and methodological approaches for future study.
Starting literature
Chaudhary, P., Rohtagi, M., Singh, R. K., & Arora, S. (2022). Impact of leader's e-competencies on employees' wellbeing in global virtual teams during COVID-19: the moderating role of emotional intelligence. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 44(5), 1048-1063.
Richter, N. F., Martin, J., Hansen, S. V., Taras, V., & Alon, I. (2021). Motivational configurations of cultural intelligence, social integration, and performance in global virtual teams. Journal of Business Research, 129, 351-367.
Jooss, S., McDonnell, A., & Conroy, K. (2021). Flexible global working arrangements: An integrative review and future research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 31(4), 100780.
Topic 6: Determinants of new product performance across countries: A meta-analytic review
Successfully launching new products across global markets is critical for international growth, yet the drivers of new product performance can vary significantly across country contexts. Factors such as market orientation, organizational capabilities, technological intensity, cross-cultural consumer behavior, and country-level institutional frameworks influence product success. This master’s thesis aims to conduct a meta-analytic review of quantitative empirical studies to examine the core determinants of new product performance and analyze how these relationships differ across countries and regions. The thesis should include an abstract, an introduction to the topic, a review of prior meta-analyses and narrative reviews, a detailed theoretical background specifically focussing on cross-country boundary conditions, a detailed and replicable methodology section outlining the literature search and coding process, the quantitative results of the meta-analysis (including moderator and mediator analyses), and a discussion section highlighting theoretical implications, managerial applications, and directions for future research. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search across major databases guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, potentially assisted by AI toolsets. Selected empirical studies will be coded and synthesized to calculate effect sizes, identify key contextual moderators (e.g., economic development level, cultural dimensions, market turbulence), and evaluate the strength of various determinants. By quantitatively synthesizing the existing literature, this thesis will provide a robust assessment of the current state of research on cross-country new product success, pinpoint key research gaps, and propose methodological frameworks for future international marketing and innovation studies.
Starting literature
Evanschitzky, H., Eisend, M., Calantone, R. J., & Jiang, Y. (2012). Success factors of product innovation: An updated meta-analysis. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 29(S1), 21-37.
Rubera, G., & Kirca, A. H. (2012). Firm innovativeness and its performance outcomes: A meta-analytic review and theoretical integration. Journal of Marketing, 76(3), 130-147.
Henard, D. H., & Szymanski, D. M. (2001). Why some new products are more successful than others. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(3), 362-375.
Story, V. M., Boso, N., & Cadogan, J. W. (2015). The role of entrepreneurial orientation and market-seeking strategy in new product success in emerging markets. International Marketing Review, 32(5), 508-532.