Selected Thesis Topics for BScBA students Bachelor´s Thesis 2013-2014 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 2013-2014.
Part 1. Thesis topics for companies and other organizations We have first listed the thesis projects that are available to do for companies and organizations. If you are interested in these projects, please mark the topic to the Indication of Interest Area form the same way than any other topic. It should be noted that the students selected to do the thesis from these topics must be motivated and committed for the work. Please do not contact these organizations yourself before the selection process has been completed for all students. More information on topics can be asked from Mari Syväoja or Tomi Heimonen. Organization: Thesis Biofenno projects for (www.biofenno.fi) companies and organizations
Selected Thesis Topics for companies and organizations
Internationalization plan Plan how to take and promote product Tuovi Tuotevirtakirjanpito to EU markets. Tuovi Tuotevirtakirjanpito is a stock and feed recording program for organic farmers. It produces necessary stock and feed reports for annual inspection. Also stock balance reporting benefits farm managements. Because Tuovi Tuotevirtakirjanpito complies with all the regulations EU has set for organic farmers, it has possible markets in EU. Aalto School of Competitive environment of Small Business Center Business, The Aalto Small Business Center wants to produce an analysis of their competitive environment in Small Business Center terms of areas of expertise, product segments etc. in order to differentiate themselves from their (www. competitors and to clarify their strategic areas of competence. The thesis would focus on the pienyrityskeskus.aalto.fi) production of competitor analysis. Mikkeli Region Business Lifestyle Tourism in Mikkeli Region Development Centre Developing Lifestyle tourism in Mikkeli Region: Miset Ltd - Benchmarking the best countries/destinations of Lifestyle Tourism - Japan and China as a target markets – market research in the point of view of Lifestyle Tourism (www.miset.fi) - New products and services - Marketing, marketing channels and target groups
Part 2. Other thesis topics related to International Business
General Business Area
Subfield of General Area
Selected Thesis Topics in the Subfield
International Business/ Management
Global Management
Leadership development in a Global context Skill development for international leadership personalities Career opportunities of international managers Bilingual skills as a career improvement tools The impact of multinationals on host countries Access to higher education in Finland. An international comparison How can cross-cultural conflicts be solved? Companies policies to deal with cross-cultural conflict Coaching as a tool to improve cross-cultural knowledge Developing effective cross-cultural training seminars Short time assignments Choosing the best market entrance strategy for an event management company How should a manager motivate his/her employees? A study of the development and present state of motivational theory. What leadership style should a manager use? What is the relationship of organizational design to employee (or group member) satisfaction? The use of future information (or scenario thinking) for strategic management: a case study of a company Testing business strategy with scenarios – case or general Roadmap of developing the value chain of local food business Bias in decision making How is the topic of "implementation strategy" related to the success of an organization? How important is the concept of control to strategic management? Emotional intelligence Organizational stress and management Executive coaching When should an organization use an internal vs. external change agent? How are norms formed? How can a manager help develop organizational norms to increase productivity?
Strategic Management
International Business/ Management
Knowledge Management Operations Management and Logistics
Innovation Management
Network and Relationship Management
Corporate Social Responsibility Internationalization process
Knowledge challenges faced by first time CEOs Developing competitive intelligence systems of specific company The models of world class operations today Purchasing: New solutions to managing the power imbalance in supplier-customer relations (SME context) Supply chain case study from published documentation The Airbus A380 sourcing fiasco Application of sustainability principles to public water supplies-preparing the criteria that a company could apply to create a “road map� for sustainability project Disruption of logistics by fast production methods (e.g. 3D printing) Assessing multi-channel strategies for new and existing products Product innovation strategies Case study of a company which is developing and introducing a new product Product-, process-, service- and organizational innovations development and exploitation challenges in MSME and large firms context Managing product development and commercialization projects Virtual consumer communities and new product development Virtual teams Relationship management How are group norms developed and what effect do they have on productivity? Is cohesiveness good or bad? What is the interaction of group dynamics on group leadership and productivity? Corporate social responsibilities of global companies Corporate social responsibility in the food supply chain Internationalization process as a strategic change process in SMEs/MNEs/Service institutions Challenges of internationalization process in diverse fields Internationalization as a strategic growth possibility Internationalization plans via different international operation modes (franchising, licensing, joint-ventures, alliances, exporting) Internationalization strategy for a fast growing SME (born global) Export strategy for a local producer of special made steel International market selection for a producer of high quality honey
International Business/ Marketing
International Marketing
Strategic Marketing Management
Consumer Behavior
Branding and Promotion
Environmental and Ethical Marketing
Marketing to different cultures within country (e.g. Russian speakers in Finland) International market entry strategies Developing of a marketing mix for SME when entering specific international markets Low budget marketing strategies for SME in their internationalization process Developing customer relationship marketing in a company consumer’s attitudes and loyalty towards a specific service/product A marketing view of transforming news into entertainment Market orientation, service orientation and innovation in Finnish Museums Developing a comprehensive marketing plan Consumer reactions to Western advertising Consumer behavior in Japan/China/Korea Incentives and antecedents of consumer boycotts The role of store environment and atmospherics in consumption experiences The enactment of consumer’s identities in experiences of contemporary art A narrative analysis of consumers’ reactions to experiences of contemporary art The depiction of consumers’ attachment and detachment to experiences of art. A qualitative research employing the methodology of collage. Survey of customer satisfaction of companies Effect of later discover low price on consumer negative emotions, repurchase intention, VOM How people negotiate their identity when bodily change occurs? Conflicting behavioral responses through luxury consumption in the face of self-concepts threats What luxury value perceptions drive Finnish consumers buying behavior? Positioning of brands B-to-B branding Social media and brand perception Co-creation and crowdsourcing in brand management Transferability of brand image across product categories Response of young consumers on gender stereotypes of global brands Identifying and analyzing brand development strategies Developing brand equity in cross-cultural contexts Role of attitude functions in luxury brand purchase Effect of brand origin misclassification on consumer practices How prevention or promotion focused consumer process information? Green marketing
International Business/ Marketing
Sales Management
Entrepreneurial marketing E-marketing issues
International Business/ Business Culture and Communication
Business Culture
Business Communication
International Business/ Accounting and Finance
International Business/ Human Resources
Managerial Accounting Taxation Financial Management Financial Markets Human Resource Management
Human Resource Policies and Practices International Business/ Economics
Microeconomics Macroeconomics
Developing selling process of a company Developing key account management in a company customer loyalty and satisfaction as a basis of product/service development International sales force strategies How to implement entrepreneurial marketing in a small enterprise? How entrepreneurial marketing comes up in marketing management of SME? How to develop e-marketing/digital advertising in a company? Retro marketing, social media and branding Examining drivers of virtual goods purchase in MMORPGs Design management: corporate image / product image of an international company How should an organization develop its managers to best perform in different cultures? How static are different cultures? What are the impacts of gender on management development in different cultures? Nonverbal communication Language learning as a tool Communication of environmental issues Marketing communication plan for a company Methods of used to determine the pricing of a product Corporate tax payments of foreign-owned vs. domestic companies Financial risk management of firms Short-term finance and related management challenges Recent development of global financial markets What are job specifications and what is its importance to HRM? What are the different methods of job recruiting and which should be used when? How should an employee be rewarded (including compensation)? Development of IHRM strategies Foreigners at work in HR practices in Finland How to develop competences of foreign employees to achieve the companies´ goals Development of a cross cultural training program to ease the cultural shock Development of IHRM function roles Development of different IHRM practices Expatriate management What are the drivers of productivity in organic farming? Asset price inflation: A monetary perspective Labor productivity: US v EU Peak oil and the development of alternative sustainable energy sources
International Business/ Entrepreneurship
Internationalization of SMEs Strategic Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship and Performance Social Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Policy and Support
Entrepreneurial Processes
International Business/ Regional Development and Area Studies
Regional Development Policies
Asia
Europe Russia
Born Global firms Internationalization challenges of MSMEs Small firm growth strategies The impact of innovation on small firm growth Social capital, networks and relationship management in SMEs Small firm growth and innovation Entrepreneurial attitudes and motivation on performance The impact of networks on small firm success The concept of the Social Entrepreneurship Business acceleration Different business accelerator models Eco-System of high-growth entrepreneurship National system of entrepreneurship Start-up process Developing a business plan Modern business concepts of renewable energy Evaluation of National Arctic strategies The utilization of locality as a competitive advantage in global food business The future of food – wild cards and weal signals of changing food consumption The effectiveness of the international response to climate change Should developing countries adopt nuclear energy as an alternative energy source? Cooperatives as a business model to produce renewable energy – case wind energy Chinese Management Styles Trade and investment opportunities between Finland and China Korean Management Styles Modern Japanese Management Language as a barrier for European expatriates in Asia Which emotional knowledge can expatriates gain during their overseas assignment? Family relocation and its challenges What is the future for the Euzone? Market entry for Finnish SME from the timber industry into Russia Cross-cultural differences between Belorussia and Russia including implications for business