Selected Thesis Topics for BScBA students Bachelor s Thesis 2014-2015 Please use this list of the fields of International Business for thesis work and potential thesis topics when choosing and informing us the field of your thesis + the thesis topic in the form Indication of Interest Area for Thesis 2014-2015. General Business Area Subfield of General Area Selected Thesis Topics in the Subfield Management Global Management The future of food wild cards and weak signals of changing food consumption The future of food production alternative scenarios until 2035 consumption The utilization of locality as a competitive advantage in global food business (case or area) Evolving health care access dilemmas in emerging as well as developed economies Business potential of the nanotechnology in environmental engineering Commercialization of the real time environmental monitoring systems Impact of climate change on water resources/local economies How should absenteeism at work be managed? Strategic Management Firm capability (or knowledge/resources/innovations etc.) development for competitive advantage Foresight methods/tools in developing business strategy Testing business strategy with scenario planning (case or general) Alternative business concepts of local food supply (case or general) Strategy processes How should an energy management strategy be developed for a manufacturing firm and what should it include? Knowledge Management An attention based view of knowledge and decision making in firms: Knowledge characteristics What types of knowledge are driving value creation in firms? Knowledge challenges faced by first-time CEOs Role of information alignment in managerial decision making to internationalize Multinational Corporations Exploring the evolution of becoming a center of excellence Parent-subsidiary relationships in MNCs MNC organizational complexities-challenges for Managing the MNC Operations Management and Logistics Disruption of logistics by fast production methods (e.g. 3D printing) Value creation in the local food business chain How well does lean work in service operations? What service infrastructure is required for electric vehicles?
Marketing Innovation Management Network and Relationship Management Corporate Social Responsibility Internationalization Process Project Management International Marketing Strategic Marketing Management Consumer Behavior Customer driven innovation Green innovation strategies Project level innovation (knowledge) development and the case of issue selling to decision makers Team innovativeness - the case of absorptive capacity and learning Knowledge protection in networks - going beyond IPR regimes Orchestration of Innovation networks Value creation in a renewable energy production chain/network Investigating relationship partnering in a company s supply chain Base of the pyramid (BOP) Strategies Sustainable Tourism Development The quantifiable importance of culture for the internationalization process (2 countries) Home country explanations to firm internationalization Drivers of internationalization choice and the intensity of internationalization Why, how and when firms are using projects in their business/international business Possible challenges of managing international business projects What kind of project selection methods firms are using and why? International project teams Project cost and performance management Project resource management Project risk management Influence of culture concerning advertising strategies of international companies Marketing to different cultures within a country (e.g., Russian speakers in Finland) Assessing the value of transformative events in building a sustainable competitive advantage in global markets A marketing view of transforming news into entertainment The influence of Guerilla Marketing on consumer perception Nostalgia as a marketing strategy Understanding the role of competitive intelligence strategies in achieving market success Bottom of the Pyramid markets and consumers: Role of MNCs as well as local firms Consumer commitment to luxury branding Impact of organizational efforts on consumer concerns online Why do people show off? Impression management motives to conspicuous consumption Role of envy in consumer choice Antecedents and consequences of consumer confusion Emotions that drive luxury consumption
Business Culture and Communication Branding and Promotion Environmental and Ethical Marketing Sales Management Entrepreneurial Marketing E-marketing Issues Business Culture Business Communication Gender Issues Conspicuous consumption and social media Impulse buying Aesthetics and the packaging of luxury products Positioning of brands Planning/developing a service design for SMEs B-to-B branding Social media and brand perception Co-creation and crowdsourcing in brand management Transferability of brand image across product categories Brand personality Ethics and branding Marketing and Branding in Art Organizations: The Case Study of Kiasma Role of B2B and B2C Branding in building customer retention Use of Social Media in generating awareness, brand equity, and trials of new and existing products Investigating relationship partnering in a company s supply chain Developing a Branding Campaign in a cross-cultural setting Investigating relationship partnering in a company s supply chain Green marketing Ethics of big data marketing Socially responsible marketing Use of technology in maintaining and motivating an international sales force Entrepreneurial selling: Pushing the Lean Startup Paradigm Entrepreneurial marketing Social media as a marketing tool in the music industry Digital Marketing Strategies in Service Industries ROI of Social Media Does politics influence business culture? (e.g. comparison Russia-Finland) Asian Business Culture Relationship management Design management: corporate image of an international company Communication of environmental issues Gender and leadership style Work-life balance Creating/sustaining an equitable workplace Negotiating differences in gender norms in an intercultural workplace Gender and expatriate work experience Women entrepreneurs
Accounting and Finance Human Resources Economics Intercultural communication Managerial Accounting Financial Accounting Taxation Financial Management Financial Markets Human Resource Management Human Resource Policies and Practices Microeconomics Macroeconomics Applications of Hofstede s cultural dimensions to the international workplace Methods to determine the pricing of services Methods used to determine pricing of a product Institutions, standards and international agreements influencing firm accounting behavior Corporate tax payments of foreign-owned vs. domestic companies Short-term finance and related management challenges Cash holdings Cash management Trade credit Short versus long term debt decision Leasing obligations Receivable financing Derivate usage Nonprofit/Social Enterprise financial management & performance Transition from domestic to MNC Stock market performance given the above Comparative analysis of the delivery of HRM/D services Critical evaluation of the effectiveness of managing coaching Evaluating the methods and effectiveness of learning in the workplace Cultural comparisons in leadership preferences and/or effectiveness Results of an acquisition: How can HR contribute to create a common corporate feeling? Born globals, internationalization and the development of HR structures Ageing workforce implications Evaluating workforce diversity and inclusion policies Performance management and organisational justice Evaluation of employee engagement strategies Approaches to employee participation and involvement in business decision making Trade and investment opportunities between Finland and China What are the drivers of productivity in organic farming? The impact of multinationals on host countries? The effectiveness of the international response to Climate change Asset price Inflation: A monetary perspective Should developing countries to adopt nuclear energy as an alternative energy source? Labor productivity: US vs. EU What future for the Eurozone? Access to higher education in Finland: An international comparison Peak oil and the development of alternative sustainable energy sources
Entrepreneurship Regional Development and Area Studies Internationalization of SMEs Strategic Entrepreneurship High-Tech Entrepreneurship Social Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Policy, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Support Regional Development Policies Asia/Africa/Latin America Russia Environmental-related topics Born globals, internationalization and the relevance of country culture Internationalization among Finnish new technology based firm new technology based firms Firm growth strategies Innovation and international competitiveness The impact of networks on small firm success/growth Market orientation and market communication in SMEs Ecopreneurship A business concept development of producing renewable energy consumption (case or general) Cooperatives as business model to produce renewable energy (case or general) Business models for the commercialization of the research results Develop a business plan for 3D printing shop/company/service Innovation and technological orientation in Finnish new technology based firms Appropriation of innovation benefits in Finnish new technology based firms Growth orientation and risk seeking attitudes among Finnish new technology based firms The role of resources in new technology based firms Goal setting and ability to achieve goals in entrepreneurial high-tech firms new technology based firms The concept and strategies of social entrepreneurship The role of social media in social entrepreneurship Business acceleration/incubation models External environments of new technology based firms new technology based firms The Political-Legal Context of International Business: The case of Company xx Evaluation of national Arctic strategies Market studies concerning areas of Asia/Africa/Latin America Does company culture influence national culture and what are the implications for business activities? Influence of culture concerning advertising strategies of international companies Environmental Policy Natural resources Climate change Water resources management