Selected Thesis Topics for BScBA students

Bachelor´s Thesis 2018-2019

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 2018-2019.

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.

Organization: Selected Thesis Topics for companies and organizations

Thesis Elka – Central Archives for Finnish

Marketing analysis of companies interests in long term digital preservation
projects for Business Records Elka is focusing on long-term preservation of business records. Earlier the records that Elka
companies has received have been mostly “analogical”, paper records/documents. Nowadays business
and http://www.elka.fi/index.php/en/ records are in digital form. The aim of the marketing analysis is to find out: How companies
organizations
have solved digital archiving (themselves, by outsourcing)?, Would they need services for
long term digital preservation?, Would they choose Elka?, etc.

Branding Elka services

What kind of image Elka has now? Positive, negative features, satisfied/unsatisfied, logo
etc. As a result of survey what Elka should to do? Improve, renew the band!

Customer satisfaction survey for Elka

Could be combined with branding survey?

Ägräs Distillery International expansion of Ägräs Distillery focusing on the US market

www.agrasdistillery.com
Part 2. Other thesis topics related to International Business

International Business/  Digital/social media marketing and digital consumer behavior

Marketing  Gamification and Consumer Decision Making (digital badges or social/economic rewards to incentivize
behavior change in marketing decisions, health decisions, business learning decisions, or financial decisions)
 “Social” or virtual shopping and sharing purchases via social networks (what are benefits to companies and
consumers?)
 Attitudes towards virtual reality gaming/products
 Influencer Marketing

 Online gaming and value in virtual purchases

 Ostentation in the digital domain - the Instagram effect
 Measuring differing value perceptions among Scandinavian consumers
 Drivers of commitment to luxury brands
 Effects of endorser transgressions on endorsed brands
 The role of envy in consumption
 Impression management motives and their influence on conspicuous consumption

 International marketing in a network organization

 Industrial marketing across borders
 Value pricing in international B2B marketing
 Ethnic product marketing
 Value creation in ethnic markets
 International marketing of design products
 International marketing of industrial suppliers
 Transition economy consumers
International Business/  Gender and leadership styles
Gender Issues  Gender factors in marketing
 Gender and culture
 Gender issues in the international workplace
 Media representations of women in the workplace
 Work-life balance
 Creating an equitable and inclusive workplace
 Women entrepreneurs
International Business/
Strategy
(esp. Consumer/demand-side approach)
International Business/
Logistics and Operations
Management
 Local production for local needs? The impact of new technologies and new imperatives on international
 How will the Internet of Things (IoT) change the supply chain?
 Strategic airline management
 Foresight tools in developing business strategy
 Testing business strategy with scenario tools – case or general
 What strategic processes and practices (both involving contacts within the firm and outside the firm) are
most useful in developing effective value propositions?
 Are there common characteristics and types of effective, ‘novel’ (digital/new type of businesses) consumer
value propositions that effectively exploit customer-demand heterogeneity?
 How do effective value propositions reflect temporal variations of demand?
 How can firms identify latent consumer needs and translate these into effective value propositions?
 How can firms endogenously shape consumption activities and the practices through which consumers
unleash the value of products to generate acceptance for formulated value propositions in markets?
 How do customer’s multi-attribute utility functions determine the types and characteristics of effective
consumer value propositions for particular consumer segments?
 How do demand-side synergies provide opportunities for effective consumer/customer value propositions?
 How will artificial intelligence (AI) change distribution/logistics management/operations management?
 What should companies/countries do to prepare for blockchain?
 China's investment in logistic infrastructure in the world – what is the deal for developing countries?
 Industry 4.0: Are companies ready?
 How will 3D printing (additive manufacturing) transform the spares and after-market for manufactured
products?
3D printing is attractive for one-off manufacture and, theoretically, a spare part could be made geographically close to the point of
need anywhere in the world. The attraction lies in production speed and the elimination of spare parts inventory – traditionally very
expensive. However, what about IP (intellectual property), safety e.g. for automotive and aerospace parts, and financial
arrangements between designer, manufacturer and, subsequently, the printer? The first Airbus 350 contained over 1000 3D printed
parts. Boeing has recently filed some patents showing that it is considering a 3D printed future very seriously. So which sectors, what
kinds of parts, which regions etc could benefit?
production
The last 20 years has seen the rise of China as the source of much the world’s manufactured product. This period has also seen the
rise of new technologies such as 3D printing and new imperatives such as reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced during
production and distribution. There is increasing potential for local-based production to meet local needs, perhaps using designs from
the multi-nationals, reusing or recycling existing product or developing local artisans. What are the key factors involved? What
factors or events might encourage this development?
Supply chain management has already been transformed by bar codes and RFID to give greater “transparency” of material in the
chain. It is expected that the IoT will have an even greater impact. RFID has not been fully implemented because of issues with cost
 and privacy – how will IoT fare? At first glance, commercial security will be a nightmare and the USA is far ahead of Europe in terms
of technology and skills. What is really happening?
 How should a retailer prepare for omni-channel distribution?
Omni-channel distribution is the term that covers all the means possible by which a retailer can deliver goods to a customer e.g.
customer collection from a store, customer collection from a delivery centre, delivery to a customer’s home, mail order etc. Many
large retailers have implemented omni-channel distribution in the last few years with varying success because the performance
measures, timescales and basic management are so different for each channel. What are these different factors for each channel?
What are the main stages of an omni-channel distribution implementation project? What are the key factors for success?
 How is high value manufacturing developing in Europe? Is it going to save Europe’s manufacturing sector?
Mass production of lower value products has moved to Asia over the last 20 years while the West tries to retain the higher value
items and the products with higher added value (due perhaps to the specific design skills or production processes required). Several
national and European-level projects are focusing on high value manufacturing to understand what infrastructure is required to
support its development e.g. skills, investment, research and development. What are the definitions of high value manufacturing?
What sorts of sectors or products are involved? What is the current state of play? Will it save Europe’s manufacturing sector?

 Strategic Management in Global Supply Networks

- Strategic planning in Global Supply Networks
- Strategy execution in Global Supply Networks
- Risk management in Global Supply Networks
- Supplier relationship management in Global Supply Networks
 Sustainability Management in Global Supply Networks (focus on the triple bottom line)
- Global Supply Networks and their economic, environmental and social impacts
- Sustainability risk management in Global Supply Networks
- Drivers and barriers for Sustainable Global Supply Networks
- Sustainability performance in Global Supply Networks
 Green Global Supply Network (focus on environmental issues)
- Global Supply Networks and their impact on global warming
- Global Supply Networks and their impact on pollution (air, water, soil)
- Global Supply Networks and their impact on forests and wildlife
- Environmental performance and greenwashing in Global Supply Networks
 Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Supply Network Management (focus on social issues)
- Global Supply Networks and their impact on poverty
- Global Supply Networks and their impact on social exclusion
- Corruption in Global Supply Networks
- Social performance and bluewashing in Global Supply Networks
 Technology and Innovation Management in Global Supply Networks
- Collaboration in Global Supply Networks
 - Integration in Global Supply Networks
- Knowledge management in Global Supply Networks
- Impact of technology on Global Supply Networks (e.g., social media, blockchain, big data)

International Business/  Global Management Challenges

Business Culture and  Motivation Across Cultures
Communication  Diversity Management
 Cross-cultural Communication
 Leadership Across Cultures
 Cross-cultural Conflict
 International Assignments – Expatriates
 Multicultural and Virtual Teams
 Cross cultural leadership

 Organizational (sub)cultures and their impact on communication

• "We all can English" – language skills as an issue in global business
• The Role of Translation in the Multinational Corporation
• Communication in International Business: Do practice and theory conflict?
• Intra-organizational knowledge sharing: language/cultural issues.
• Multilinguilism: Individual/corporate coping strategies
• Crisis communication: A case study
• Corporate Social Responsibility as communicated through corporate web pages
• The role of national cultures in globalized business
 Consistency theory and intercultural encounters
 Physic distance on nascent business relations
 Linguistic impediments and expectations
 Top-down linguistic systems
 Hybrid interorganizational communication systems
 Formation of cultural identities
International Business/  Family firms and business groups (e.g. ranging from small family firms to huge "groups" such as S, K, NEP
Accounting and Finance group in Finland)
 Firm governance structure and performance implications
 Boards of directors and executive compensation
 Commodities (gold, precious metals, coffee, cocoa, agricultural commodities) price modelling
 Entrepreneurial finance, Venture Capital and Business Angels
 National Governance regimes and institutional frameworks

 Sovereign Ratings
 Automation in Financial Services Sector and impact on employment
 SDGs and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)

 Alternative finance - current state of development

 Earnings Management (regulated environments)

 Portfolio Rebalancing
 Asset Management
 Audit Fees and Complexity

 Corporate governance
 Internal Controls
 Management accounting
 Accounting information systems
 ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
 Risk Management
 Internal Audit

 The use of Green bonds for climate and environmental projects

 Islamic banking
 Jewish venture capital and funding systems

Portfolio Theory
 Selecting optimal portfolios in the context of various indeces
Market Efficiency
 Study of market efficiency of Finnish small cap mutual funds
 Investigating weak form market efficiency
Capital Structure and Cost of Capital
 Corporate cash holdings of publically owned firms in emerging economies
 Investigation into key determinants of capital structure
Composition of the board of directors
 Gender diversity and board effectiveness of large European corporations
 Board characteristics and firm performance
 Remuneration policy as a goal congruence mechanism
Agency variables and firm performance
 Transparency and monitoring as determinants of firm performance
Corporate Governance
 The link between culture and audit
 Comply or explain principle vs rules based approach
 Corporate governance code development in the UK context
Asset pricing (CAPM)
 Testing the Capital Asset Pricing Model in the Vietnamese stock market
 Exploration of the relationship between Google Searches and Bitcoin's price, volatility and traded volume
 CAPM and Fama French three factor model
 Investment risk profile of the Millenial generation
Bond markets
 Quantitative easing and bond volatility
 The link between US government bond yields and cost of debt of multinational companies
 Strips as predictors of future borrowing rates
Corporate valuation and investment appraisal
 The Influence of short term wealth effect of M&A on stock price as the indicator of future profitability of
the M&A deal in the long run
 The impact of dividend announcement and payment on shareprices of publically owned firms
Financial Crisis
 Financial Risk Tolerance: A Cultural Comparison
 Financial crisis and bond yields
Alternative Performance Measurers, also known as non-GAAP measures, are measures of a company’s financial
performance that are not defined or required by IFRS.
 How are Alternative Performance Measures used in different industries?
 How do Alternative Performance Measures differ between countries?
 Do individual companies report Alternative Performance Measures consistently over time?

Recently auditor’s reports have started to include descriptions of the key audit matters faced by the auditor in
performing the audit.
 Do key audit matters provide effective ‘signals’ to readers of the auditor’s report about key issues faced in
the audit?
 Are key audit matters transparent about the key issues faced in the audit?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporting; Some companies now provide information to stakeholders about
their environmental, social and governance performance in addition to their traditional reports on financial
performance.
 How does CSR reporting differ between industries?
 How does CSR reporting differ between countries?
 What standards, if any, do companies follow when preparing CSR reports?
International Business/  Multi-generational working
Human Resource  Integrating migrants into the workforce
Management  Evaluating workplace mentoring
 Changing career expectations of Gen Y / Millennials
 Evaluating workplace apprenticeships
 Self-initiated expatriation: motivations, expectations and realities
 Engagement in work
 Implications of AI and robotics for employment and work

 Wellbeing at work and work-life balance through participation in sports

 Extending working lives in ageing populations
 Resilience and mindfulness at work

 Learning and development: formal and informal approaches to learning – includes, for example, evaluating
coaching and mentoring, formalised learning interventions
 Wellbeing at work – includes organisationally facilitated sporting / physical activities and individually-
facilitated physical activity / sports (e.g participation in running to alleviate stress)
 Later- career working / extending working lives for later-career employees
 Learning through work, includes workplace apprenticeships
 Workplace engagement, commitment, satisfaction etc.
 Cross cultural leadership / management
 The future of employment and work – e.g. Introduction/integration of artificial intelligence into the
workplace
 Identity / perceptions of self in specific contexts
 Organisational cultures
 Role of space and place upon working lives

International Business/  The economic consequences of ‘Brexit’ for the UK economy.

Economics  The consequences of Brexit for the UK’s trade and living standards.
 Impact of Brexit on Housing Market in UK or any particular sector in the UK
 The Economic Impact of BREXIT on the EU
 Brexit and international trade
 Topics on climate change and environmental economics related to growth, Brexit or international trade in
country X
 The economic impact of trade in tourism services (or its possible impact on the Finnish Economy).
 The impact of culture on tourism – the case of Finland.
 The examination of economic factors affecting the tourist demand for peer-to-peer accommodation such as
Airbnb.
 Estimating the impact of Airbnb on the hotel Industry.

 The shift in power from lessors to airlines in the last 10 years.

 Global trade and production fragmentation - the role of global supply chains.
 An examination of the impact of economic factors on the well-being across the OECD countries.
 The recent refugee crisis: the economic assimilation and the labor market effects of asylum seekers and
refugees in host countries.
 Employability vs education in a specific country
 Monetary Policy in EU/any country of student choice and relation to economic growth
 Oil price and alternative energy - impacts on economic growth
 Health and economic growth in EU
 Role of Human Capital in economic growth
 Inflation and economic growth

 A study of policy interventions to support Eco-innovation

 National lotteries and funding for good causes: the impact of lottery privatization
 The regulation of the labor market: Main institutional elements and their impact on the economic
performance. (it can be developed focusing on Finland in comparison to other countries)
 Location decisions of US MNEs in the high technology sector
 Rethinking regional cities for the 21st Century

 International migration
 International investor governance policy
 Transnational trade relations
 Liabilities of foreignness
 Liabilities of outsidership
 Ethnic enclave economy
 Central Asian transition economies
 German industry – a European locomotive

International Business/
Innovation, Entrepreneurship
and SMEs
• The potential impact of "one Belt One Road" on international trade
- China's "Belt and Road Initiative" is a large topic and any part of it could be studied according to a
student's interests e.g. the silk road economic belt, the maritime silk road, the China-Mongolia-Russia
corridor, China-Pakistan corridor, etc.
- China’s belt and road initiatives link countries of very different levels of economic activity. How is the
capital investment "shared"? What are the expected economic benefits for each country? What is the
current state of development?
 An examination of the management consulting industry in Finland
 An examination of the "Gig Economy"
 Business models in new technology-based firms (cross-country comparison, data available)
 Platform business models
 Platform business regulation - what should governments do?
 Circular economy's opportunities and challenges
 Entrepreneurship in creative industries
 Science Policy and its connection to firm-level innovation
 Innovation in transition, emerging and developing markets
 Entrepreneurial and diaspora ecosystems
 Transnational entrepreneurship
 Migrant and diaspora entrepreneurship
 Small emerging market multinationals
 Business models for SME growth
- Why business model innovation is critical in creating growth for SMEs?
 Incubator business model and processes
- Why some incubators succeed better in creating growth and opportunities for their customers?
 Innovation commercialization
- How to boost the way of innovations to reach the markets
 Organizing for Telework
- How to lead tele/remote work and what it requires from the organization?
 IoT business models
- How the IoT technology enables new business models for companies?
 Building digital capability in SMEs
- Why the digital capabilities matter and how to build competitive advantage on those in SMEs?
  Innovation ecosystems and triple helix of innovation
- How to make the collaboration work in ecosystem of University, city and companies?
- Case South-Savo region vs. e.g. Luulaja area in Sweden

 What are the drivers and/or incentives for cooperation & collaboration for SMEs / among SMEs
 How do start-ups identify the business opportunities?
 How do established SMEs identify new/novel business opportunities
 How does a sustainability (or environmental issues) act as a driver for entrepreneurship?
 What motivates entrepreneur’s to set up/join a co-operative (vs. a ‘normal’ company)
International Business/  Future of economic development: changing roles of business and economy in post-growth society
Environmental Issues,  Sustainable/Circular business model innovation
Sustainability and Ethics - Changing business models, changing concept of value, its creation and capturing?
- Sustainable product-service systems
 Digitalization and servitization of manufacturing (distributed/redistributed/additive manufacturing) and
circular economy
- Zero waste through digitalization of manufacturing
- Circular economy and digitalization of manufacturing
- Digitalization of manufacturing/distributed manufacturing and the changing role of consumers;
possibilities and barriers, impact of business models
 Platform economy & apps in b-to-b, b-to-c or in peer-to-peer context
- Platform economy and waste minimization, or more sustainable consumption behavior
- Apps for changing personal consumption behavior
o What are the mechanisms that make people to use/accept this kinds of apps –
customers/users, scaling possibilities – continuity?
 Reforestation of arid areas, experiences, and the potential role of international business in it
- For example in Finland, ST1 oil company has proposed a reforestation project in Sahara area. The idea
behind of the proposal is to provide carbon offset for their business.
 Corporate Responsibility
- Sharing economy and corporate responsibility
- Internet shopping: responsibility issues, waste, consumption behavior, etc.
- Innovative responbility – changing the core business of a company to create better world and better
business
- Corporate responsibility and digitalization of socities and economy
 o Creating safe and sound digital environments, possible service design case study focusing on
childrens rights, international rules for the playing field, with corporate partners
- Corporate Social Responsibility and impact on brand loyalty by customers

 A study of policy interventions to support Eco-innovation

 A business model development of renewable energy (general or case solar, wind, biogas, geothermal)
 Creating a profitable value network in a renewable energy concept/concepts (investment process or
operating concept)
 Cooperatives as a business model to produce renewable energy (case or general)

 Global waste crisis

- food waste, electronic waste, plastic waste, what are the statistics, who is concerned, what are the
policies and actions? What more can be done?

 Social diaspora entrepreneurship

 Altruism in homeland development
 Sustainable development goals
 Civil society and local legitimacy
International Business/  Organic Farming and Future Global Food Security
Food Business  Analysis of economic policies that promote sustainability of the livestock industry.

 Business concepts of local food supply (case or general)

 Comparisons of (local) food distribution channels (current use, profitability, attractiveness)
 Value creation in the local food business chain
 The future of food – alternative food systems towards 2035-2050
 Digitalization of food markets (case or market level)
 Solutions and benefits of digitalization of food business
 E-commerce of retailing food (case amazon, ali baba etc.)

 Sustainable food chains and agri-industries, IPR questions, etc.