Thesis Topics

Description:
Carbon accounting standards are currently being revised, prompting firms to adopt new accounting systems and approaches. Accounting systems can be viewed as organizational technologies—requiring implementation, user acceptance, and structural adaptation. In technology adoption research, the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework is widely used, but its applicability to carbon accounting system adoption remains underexplored.

Aim:
Conduct a systematic literature review that synthesizes TOE-based technology adoption literature and links it to “accounting as a technology” research. Based on this, assess how well the TOE framework explains the adoption of new carbon accounting system approaches and where adaptations may be needed.

Research Questions:

• How is the TOE framework used to analyze technology adoption, and what are its core determinants?
• How does literature conceptualize the adoption of accounting systems as technologies?
• Does the TOE framework adequately capture drivers and barriers of adopting new carbon accounting approaches under evolving standards?

Methodological Approach:

• Systematic search, screening, and synthesis of TOE literature
• Targeted review of accounting-as-technology and carbon accounting adoption research
• Integrative discussion of TOE’s applicability and limitations in this context

Key Data:

• Type: Bachelor thesis (3 months)
• Method: Systematic literature review
• Language: English or German
• Start: ASAP (Preferably Mid December)
• Application: Via our chair’s online portal
• Contact: Hanna Scholta (hanna.scholta@tum.de)

Description: In the impact venture capital ecosystem, clear changes can be observed in how funds publicly communicate about impact, climate, sustainability and social issues. Impact investing funds increasingly shift their linguistic focus – for example, from classic “sustainability” rhetoric towards terms such as “resilience”, “risk mitigation” or “long-term value”. At the same time, certain topics – such as social indicators or diversity – are emphasized more strongly or communicated more cautiously depending on the market context.

These shifts reflect broader political and economic developments, including growing polarization around ESG in the United States, regulatory changes in Europe, and geopolitical events such as wars or energy crises. Such developments are particularly visible in public communication on LinkedIn, where funds position themselves towards LPs, portfolio companies and the wider public.

The aim of this thesis is the systematic analysis of LinkedIn posts of selected impact investing funds in the USA and Europe (Germany, France and the United Kingdom) since 2019. The data will be collected in a structured way, categorized, and used for an initial exploratory analysis of changing narratives and themes.

Prerequisites: Interest in Impact Investing and new narratives due to geopolitical/macroeconomic changes, Independent working style  

Methodology: Discourse analysis using qualitative content analysis and quantitative text analysis

Start: ASAP 

Application: Please stick to the regular application process via our chair’s online form

Contact: Lubna Al-Duri (lubna.al-duri@tum.de)    

First literature to start with:

• Agrawal, A., & Hockerts, K. (2021). Impact Investing: Review and Research Agenda. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 33(2), 153-181.
• Barber, B. M., Morse, A., & Yasuda, A. (2021). Impact investing. Journal of Financial Economics, 139(1), 162–185.
• Kovner, Anna and Josh Lerner, “Doing well by doing good? Community development venture capital,” Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 2015, 24 (3), 643–663.

Description: 

The thesis will be embedded in a larger study examining how companies with significant Scope 3 emissions profiles respond to strategic and institutional uncertainty. The project investigates how firms navigate limited control over their value chain, increasing regulatory pressure, and growing demands for climate legitimacy—and what strategies, mechanisms, and trade-offs emerge in the process.

Research Questions:

• How do companies identify barriers and leverage points in Scope 3 governance?
• What role do stakeholders play in value chain decarbonization?
• Which strategic response mechanisms do companies adopt—accept, improve, avoid, explore, or reflect?
• To what extent do firms perceive Scope 3 frameworks (e.g., GHG Protocol, CSRD, SBTi) as fit for purpose?
• How do Scope 3 strategies vary by industry, supply chain position, or governance maturity? 

Prerequisites: Good German and English language skills, Interest in ESG, corporate sustainability strategies, and climate policy, Independent working style  

Methodology: 

You will conduct a qualitative case study based on expert interviews and company documents (e.g., climate reports, SBTi targets, ESG ratings). Your thesis will contribute to the theoretical understanding of corporate responses to Scope 3 complexity and complement an ongoing multi-case study

Start: ASAP 

Application: Please stick to the regular application process via our chair’s online form

Contact: Victoria Fohrer (victoria.fohrer@tum.de)     

First literature to start with:

• Hettler, M. & Graf-Vlachy, L. (2023). Corporate scope 3 carbon emission reporting as an enabler of supply chain decarbonization: A systematic review and comprehensive research agenda. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(2), 263–282.
• Buchenau, N., Oetzel, J., & Hechelmann, R.-H. (2025). Category-specific benchmarking of Scope 3 emissions for corporate clusters. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 208, 115019.
• Vieira, L.C., Longo, M., & Mura, M. (2024). Impact pathways: The hidden challenges of Scope 3 emissions measurement and management. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 44(13), 326–334.

Description: The incorporation of ESG criteria has been the most significant change in executive compensation in the past years. However, the empirical literature on executive compensation primarily focuses on US companies. There is a lack of research for companies outside the US. The aim of this thesis is to collect compensation data (from remuneration reports) for german companies (DAX40, MDAX) for the last decade. On the basis of this database, the data should be quantitatively evaluated with regard to the development of ESG criteria in management board remuneration. 

Methodology: Data collection, Quantitative analysis  

Start: ASAP

Contact: Victoria Fohrer (victoria.fohrer@tum.de) (Please follow the official application process as described here)

First papers to start with: 

Beck, D., Friedl, G. & Schäfer, P. Executive compensation in Germany. J Bus Econ 90, 787–824 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-020-00978-y 

Cohen, S., Kadach, I., Ormazabal, G. & Reichelstein, S. Executive Compensation Tied to ESG Performance: International Evidence. Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), 805-853 (2023), DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12481.