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Bachelor

Seminar Thesis

Module: Module 11: Wissenstransfer
Course: Seminar: Current Topics in Management, Technology, and Leadership Research
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Lorenz Graf-Vlachy
Scope / Credits: 2 SWS / 5 Credits
Language: German / English
Application: Online application
Kickoff: tba (P1-05-309)
Interim Presentation: tba (P1-05-309)
Submission Date of the Thesis: tba

Content Overview

In this seminar, students develop a topic in management based on the relevant scientific literature. In the course, participants conduct a structured literature analysis (Clark et al., 2021; Fisch & Block, 2018; Rousseau et al., 2008; Tranfield et al., 2003). Students should attend this course if they want to learn scientific work and get to intimately understand a topic of management, especially from the research focus areas of the professorship. The seminar serves as preparation for the Bachelor's thesis.

Learning Goals

After the successful participation in the seminar, students will be able to:

  • understand and analyse a current topic in business management
  • independently develop a research topic based on a structured literature research
  • conceptualise, plan, and carry out a scientific research project
  • present and defend interim results

Topic selection

The topics for the structured literature analysis are worked on in groups. Topics are assigned in the first session of the course.

The topics come from the main research areas. Illustrative topics are:

  • Personality characteristics of top executives
  • Top executives in the platform economy
  • Communicating discontinuous innovation
  • Political ideology of top executives
  • Managers' mental health
  • Top executives' communication with employees
  • Dependent variables in strategic leadership research

Prerequisites

Participation in the course Scientific Work, which is offered alongside the course. (no separate application necessary)

Literature

  • Clark, W. R., Clark, L. A., Raffo, D. M., & Williams, R. I. (2021). Extending Fisch and Block’s (2018) tips for a systematic review in management and business literature. Management Review Quarterly, 71(1), 215-231.
  • Fisch, C., & Block, J. (2018). Six tips for your (systematic) literature review in business and management research. Management Review Quarterly, 68, 103-106.
  • Kurzhals, C., Graf‐Vlachy, L., & König, A. (2020). Strategic leadership and technological innovation: A comprehensive review and research agenda. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 28(6), 437-464.
  • Rousseau, D. M., Manning, J., & Denyer, D. Evidence in management and organizational science: Assembling the field’s full weight of scientific knowledge through syntheses. Academy of Management Annals 2.1 (2008): 475-515.
  • Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence‐informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207-222.

Contact Person

Location & approach

The campus of TU Dort­mund University is located close to interstate junction Dort­mund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dort­mund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dort­mund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dort­mund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the uni­ver­si­ty are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dort­mund.

To get from Campus North to Campus South by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus North and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.

TU Dort­mund University has its own train station ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dort­mund main station ("Dort­mund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The uni­ver­si­ty is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.

You can also take the bus or subway train from Dort­mund city to the uni­ver­si­ty: From Dort­mund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dort­mund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dort­mund main station to the stop "Dort­mund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dort­mund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S".

The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dort­mund University. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the uni­ver­si­ty directly with the city of Dort­mund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.

The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.

The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".

Street navigation from and to the TU Dortmund University:

OpenStreetMap Routing Machine

The document and the graphic represent the motorways and federal highways around the TU Dortmund University in a very simplified way:

Environment map (PDF)

Environment map (graphic)

This interactive map helps you find and navigate between facilities and buildings on campus:

Interactive campus map

This document contains a simple campus map in German and English:

Campus map (PDF)