Master Thesis Winter Term 2023

Master's thesis supervision Winter term 2023

Before you consider to apply for thesis supervision at the BIM chair, please carefully read the following:

1) Do not write your thesis under our supervision if at the same time you plan to work full time, do an internship , travel the world, or still need to do a large number of other courses! The thesis is an integral part of your study program and, thus, should be in the focus of your attention. You will need all the time to be able to deliver the best package (we fully understand that most of you have a student job and this is perfectly doable). All students that despite our warnings still started a full-time job or internship etc. struggled with finishing their thesis in time and delivering the desired quality. YOUR thesis should be YOUR first priority!

2) Only write your thesis under our supervision if you are commited, motivated, and responsible as well as willing to accept new challenges! If you consider to write your thesis at the BIM chair you should be well-organized, be able to motivate yourself to achieve your goals, and be willing to independently learn new skills (e.g., learn new statistical approaches largely on your own). Writing your thesis with us inlcudes to go beyond what you have learned in your scientific project, your seminars, and lectures. We expect that you are proavtive and motivated as well as able to largely do this on your own. Our job is to reduce uncertainty. Be prepared for all meetings and show us that you invest effort and time to solve issues yourself. This is YOUR thesis, work for it!

3) We are not your personal assistant. Our job is to supervise your thesis with respect to the topic and method as well as the general content and process (e.g., literature search, writting, etc.). It is not our job to remind you of deadlines, to fill out your documents, or to replace your own efforts to understand the submission procedure. All this information is provided below or publicly available on the website of our faculty, specifically the examination office. We are not your internet search engine substitude. This is YOUR thesis, YOU need to organize it!
Registration form Master's thesis: Click here
Submission procedure of your Master's thesis: Click here
General information for your study program (including all information in case of illness): Click here

4) Time problems on your side do not create time pressure on our side! It is part of the mission of the BIM chair to provide students with timely answers to their questions as well as a timely feedback and grading after submission. Time constraints on your side do NOT create time issues on our side. Our aim is to answer questions and request via email within two working days. We are usually much faster than that but if you send your question Friday late in the afternoon you cannot expect an answer on the same day. Organize yourself and try walking in the shoes of the members of the BIM chair. The same applies to the situation once you have submitted your final thesis. If you want to start a job or internship, have visa requirements or travel plans, if you want to/need to move out of your apartment, or if you want to get back your semester fee etc. this is all your business and your responsibility. We have eight weeks to finish the grading of your thesis (see the study regulations) and while we aim for a much shorter time, it will not always be possible to finalize within two weeks. Each member of the BIM chair at any given point in time during the year is supervising at least five Master thesis students, five Bachelor thesis students, and several supervised internships etc. We simply cannot take into account all particularities for each and every supervised student as this otherwise would fill our schedule completly. All submitted theses are graded on a first come, first served basis. If you need your grade as soon as possible make sure to submit early. YOUR issues, YOUR business!

Please read the following text carefully.

Master's thesis supervision at the BIM chair during Winter term 2023 is organized in the following way:

Application: Apply for Master's thesis supervision no later than August 31st 2023 before midnight (deadline) and send it via email to Ida-Anna Thiele (ida-anna.thiele@ovgu.de). Prepare a max. two page motivation letter (including a priority list of three topics from the BIM chair list or your own topic proposition - see below), a CV, and a transcript of all Master and Bachelor grades in a single pdf document - use free of charge online tools to transfer and merge your documents. Name the file with your last name and '_Thesis_App', e.g. 'Schlaegel_Thesis_App.pdf'.

Selection criteria: Preference in the selection of Master thesis students will be given to excellent students that participated in the scientiic projects of the BIM chair.

Notification: Applicants are going to receive information about the result of the selection no later than September 6th 2023.

Topic: You are welcome to (a) propose your own topic (but make sure that you have access to data so you can test your hypotheses) or (b) make a priority list of three topics from the BIM chair list of potential topics. Topic issues will NOT be discussed before October.

Timeframe: A total of 22 weeks are available for the thesis - a four week "reading" period and an 18 week "writing" period (to be graded in the Winter term 2023, the thesis needs to be finished by the end of March, i.e. thesis submission and defense).

Reading period: Start of the four-week reading period no later than October 20th 2023.

Registration: The thesis registration and start of the 18-week writing period is no later than November 17th 2023 (the registration document is available on the website of the examination office - registration form Master's thesis: Click here).

For the thesis registration, please check (a) again if you fulfill all the requirements to register for the master thesis before sending us the registration form and (b) then send us your current transcript of records together with the registration form via e-mail. If it becomes apparent after the reading period has begun that you do not meet the requirements (for example, because you have failed a course for which you had not yet received a grade), please let us know IMMEDIATELY.

For IMME students, the main requirements for the master thesis registration are: the successful completion of (1) at least 75 credit points including all compulsory modules, (2) at least one specialization section, and (3) at least one seminar worth 10 credit points (click here for the official examination regulation).

For BWL/Business Economics students, the main requirements for the master thesis registration are: the successful completion of (1) at least 75 credit points, (2) at least two specialization sections (please consider the particularities for the specializations "Marketing and E-Business" and "Economics"), and (3) at least one seminar worth 10 credit points (click here for the official examination regulation).

Supervision approach: An important aspect of the Master's thesis is to work independently on the topic - individual supervision meetings should not exceed four to five appointments of 30 minutes each (not including a meeting to specify the topic). In the meetings your supervisor is not a substitute for your own efforts to solve problems. Thesis supervision does not include prior review of parts of the thesis or a "first draft". All thesis supervision meetings take place face-to-face on campus.

Submission: Submission of the thesis is no later than March 22nd 2024 (see the website of the examination office for further details on the submission requirements and process - submission procedure of your Master's thesis: Click here).

Defense: All theses defenses take place in January 2024 (15 minutes presentation of your current state and 10 minutes questions - the ppt slides do not need to be submitted earlier) - about 45 to 60 minutes in total to have time for feedback. There will be no additional presentation in March 2024.

Important dates summary:

Application: Until midnight on August 31st 2023 via e-mail (ida-anna.thiele@ovgu.de)
Notification: Until September 6th 2023
First meeting with supervisor: Between October 2nd and October 19th 2023
Reading period: Start no later than October 20th 2023
Writing period: Start no later than November 17th 2023
Thesis defense: Planned for the second/third week of January (January 8th to January 19th 2024)
Thesis submission: Latest by March 22nd 2024

Master's thesis topics

Topic 1: The relationship between board structure and firm performance: a meta-analytic synthesis

The structure of a firm’s board of directors can be distinguished by several characteristics such as, among others, the total number of directors in the board and the age of the board members. The objective of this master thesis is to provide an overview of the relationship between several characteristics of board structure (e.g., board size, board age, board composition, among others) and various facets of firm performance (e.g., financial performance). The thesis includes a comprehensive critical review of the definitions, conceptualizations, and measurements of board structure components and firm performance and provides an overview of previous meta-analyses and reviews on this topic. The thesis should further include an abstract, an introduction to the topic (including a short summary of the results), a detailed and replicable description of the literature search process and applied analytical techniques, the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of several moderators), and a discussion of the findings and their implications for the field. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search, coding, and analysis of articles on the role of board structure (i.e., conceptual articles, qualitative studies, and quantitative studies). The literature search (preferably supported by artificial intelligence tools) involves the use of a variety of databases and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies will be meta-analytically synthesized, and the role of moderators will be examined. The meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the current state of knowledge of the role of board structure, identify gaps in the current research, and suggest areas and methodological approaches for future studies.

Starting literature:

Bhatt, R. R., & Bhattacharya, S. (2015). Board structure and firm performance in Indian IT firms. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 12(3), 232-248.

Bonn, I., Yoshikawa, T., & Phan, P. H. (2004). Effects of board structure on firm performance: A comparison between Japan and Australia. Asian Business & Management, 3, 105-125.

Dalton, D. R., Daily, C. M., Johnson, J. L., & Ellstrand, A. E. (1999). Number of directors and financial performance: A meta-analysis. Academy of Management journal, 42(6), 674-686.

Topic 2: Helpless abroad? Perceived organizational support and expatriate work-related outcomes: a meta-analytic review

Perceived organizational support (POS) is defined as the extent to which expatriates believe that they will receive support from their organization during their overseas assignments (e.g., support for adjusting to the new country). The objective of this master thesis is to provide an overview of the relationship between expatriates’ POS (if possible, including several dimensions) and various work-related outcomes (e.g., job performance, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, well-being, turnover intention, among others). The thesis includes a comprehensive critical review of the definitions, conceptualizations, and measurements of POS and the investigated work-related outcomes and provides an overview of previous meta-analyses and reviews on this topic. The thesis should further include an abstract, an introduction to the topic (including a short summary of the results), a detailed and replicable description of the literature search process and applied analytical techniques, the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of moderators), and a discussion of the findings and their implications for the field. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search, coding, and analysis of articles on the role of POS in the expatriation context (i.e., conceptual articles, qualitative studies, and quantitative studies). The literature search (preferably supported by artificial intelligence tools) involves the use of a variety of databases and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies will be meta-analytically synthesized, and the role of moderators will be examined. The meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the current state of knowledge of the role of POS, identify gaps in the current research, and suggest areas and methodological approaches for future study.

Starting literature:

Kawai, N., & Strange, R. (2014). Perceived organizational support and expatriate performance: Understanding a mediated model. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(17), 2438-2462.

Sarfraz, M., Nisar, Q. A., & Raza, A. (2023). Expatriates' adjustment and performance in risky environments: the role of organizational support and rewards, risk propensity and resilience. Personnel Review, 52(4), 1126-1145.

Sokro, E., Pillay, S., & Bednall, T. (2021). The effects of perceived organisational support on expatriate adjustment, assignment completion and job satisfaction. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 21(3), 452-473.

Van der Laken, P. A., Van Engen, M. L., Van Veldhoven, M. J. P. M., & Paauwe, J. (2019). Fostering expatriate success: A meta-analysis of the differential benefits of social support. Human Resource Management Review, 29(4), 100679.

Topic 3: A meta-analytic comparison of the role of transactional and transformational leadership for follower performance

Leadership style refers to the different approaches used by leaders to manage their teams. Transformational and transactional leadership are among the most studied leadership styles. While transactional leadership is based on structures and rules such as rewards, feedback, and clear goals, transformational leadership focuses on the development and personal growth of employees. The objective of this master thesis is to provide an overview and comparison of the relationship between transactional and transformational leadership (if possible, including their dimensions) and followers’ job performance (e.g., individual performance and team performance). The thesis includes a comprehensive critical review of the definitions, conceptualizations, and measurements of the two leadership styles and job performance and provides an overview of previous meta-analyses and reviews on this topic. The thesis should further include an introduction to the topic, a detailed description of the literature search process and applied analytic techniques, the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of several moderators), and a discussion of the findings and their implications for the field. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search, coding, and analysis of articles on the role of transactional and transformational leadership (i.e., conceptual articles, qualitative studies, and quantitative studies). The literature search (preferably supported by artificial intelligence tools) involves the use of a variety of databases and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies will be meta-analytically synthesized, and the role of moderators will be examined. The meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the current state of knowledge of the role of transactional and transformational leadership, identify gaps in the current research, and suggest areas and methodological approaches for future study.

Starting literature:

Crede, M., Jong, J., & Harms, P. (2019). The generalizability of transformational leadership across cultures: A meta-analysis. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34(3), 139-155.

Dumdum, U. R., Lowe, K. B., & Avolio, B. J. (2002). A meta-analysis of transformational and transactional leadership correlates of effectiveness and satisfaction: An update and extension. In B. J., Avolio, & F. J., Yammarino (Eds.), Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead (pp. 35–66). Emerald Group Publishing.

Torlak, N. G., & Kuzey, C. (2019). Leadership, job satisfaction and performance links in private education institutes of Pakistan. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 68(2), 276-295.

Topic 4: The impact of organizational learning capability on firm performance: A meta-analytic synthesis

Organizational learning capability (OLC) refers to managerial practices that facilitate organizational learning, or the conditions and enablers that can help an organization become a learning organization. However, the OLC-firm performance relationship is under-researched and the extent to which OLC influences economic outcomes varies across studies. The objective of this master thesis is to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge and expand the understanding of OLC’s role (including corresponding dimensions) in organizational performance through a meta-analytic synthesis. This includes a comprehensive critical review of the definition, conceptualization, and measurement of the main constructs (OLC and firm performance) as well as an overview of previous meta-analyses and reviews on the association of OLC with firm performance (including several firm performance indicators) as a relevant economic outcome. The thesis should further include an abstract, an introduction to the topic (including a short summary of the results), a detailed and replicable description of the literature search process and applied analytical techniques, the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of several moderators), and a discussion of the findings and their implications for the field. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search, coding, and analysis of articles on the role of OLC in firm performance (i.e., conceptual articles, qualitative, and quantitative studies). The literature search (preferably supported by artificial intelligence tools) may involve using a variety of databases and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies will be meta-analytically synthesized to extract the main findings, and the role of moderators will be examined. The meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the current state of knowledge of the relationship between OLC and firm performance, identify gaps in the current research, and suggest areas and methodological approaches for future studies.

Starting literature

Lin, Y. & Wu, L.-Y. (2014). Exploring the role of dynamic capabilities in firm performance under the resource-based view framework. Journal of Business Research, 67(3), 407-413.

Do, T. T., & Mai, N. K. (2022). Organizational learning and firm performance: A systematic review. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 71(4), 1230-1253.

Migdadi, M. M. (2019). Organizational learning capability, innovation and organizational performance. European Journal of Innovation Management, 24(1), 151-172.

Topic 5: A meta-analytic synthesis on the role of organizational learning capability for firm innovativeness

Innovations within organizations are perceived as a process of individual and collective learning and a key instrument for finding alternative methods for problem solving. Firm innovation can be embodied in the products, processes, management, or marketing systems. The main requirement for an environment in which innovation can occur efficiently is the communication of acquired knowledge as well as the interaction between individuals within the organization. The objective of this master’s thesis is to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on the economic relevance of the relationship between OLC (including several dimensions) and firm innovativeness as an important economic outcome. The thesis includes a comprehensive critical review of the definitions, conceptualizations, and measurements of OLC and firm innovativeness and provides an overview of previous meta-analyses and reviews on this topic. The thesis should further include an abstract, an introduction to the topic (including a short summary of the results), a detailed and replicable description of the literature search process, applied analytical techniques, and the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of moderators). Finally, a discussion of the findings and their implications in the field are presented. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search (preferably supported by artificial intelligence tools), coding, and analysis of articles on the relationship between OLC and firm innovativeness (i.e., conceptual articles, qualitative, and quantitative studies). The literature search involves the use of a variety of databases and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies would then be critically evaluated and analysed to extract and synthesize the main findings. The literature review should also identify gaps in current research and suggest areas for future studies.

Starting literature

Akgün, A. E., Ince, H., Imamoglu, S. Z., Keskin, H., & Kocoglu, I. (2014). The mediator role of learning capability and business innovativeness between total quality management and financial performance. International Journal of Production Research, 52(3), 888-901.

Migdadi, M. M. (2019). Organizational learning capability, innovation and organizational performance. European Journal of Innovation Management, 24(1), 151-172.

Tohidi, H., Mohsen Seyedaliakbar, S., & Mandegari, M. (2012). Organizational learning measurement and the effect on firm innovation. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 25(3), 219-245.

Tambosi, S. S. V., Gomes, G., & Amal, M. (2020). Organisational learning capability and innovation: study on companies located in regional cluster. International Journal of Innovation Management, 24(06), 2050057.

Topic 6: Demystifying organizational learning capability: A comparative, meta-analytic synthesis analysis of assessment methods

The ability of an organization to learn from its experiences and apply that knowledge to improve its performance is known as organizational learning capability (OLC). This can be achieved through the implementation of managerial practices as well as the creation of conditions and enablers that facilitate organizational learning. By developing a strong OLC, firms can enhance their ability to learn and adapt, which can lead to improved economic outcomes such as firm performance. Empirical studies have tested the association between OLC and various economic outcomes. While these studies have contributed to our understanding of these relationships, the literature is characterized by the use of multiple conceptualizations and measures of OLC as well as inconsistent empirical findings regarding the direction and magnitude of the association between OLC and different organizational outcomes. As a result, the extent to which OLC influences these outcomes and the degree to which the results vary across different measures remain unclear. Existing measures to assess OLC can vary in their focus, scope, and methods, but all aim to provide a comprehensive picture of OLC. The objective of this master thesis is to provide conceptual clarity and to compare and contrast the selected measurement approaches used to assess OLC through a meta-analytic synthesis to expand the understanding of the underlying conceptualization of selected measures of OLC. Therefore, this thesis aims to provide a detailed overview and comparison of different OLC measures, including their strengths, weaknesses, and applicability in different contexts, through a critical review of their definitions and conceptualizations. Specifically, the thesis should address the question: How do the definitions and objectives, as well as the conceptualization and operationalization of the constructs, vary between different measures of OLC? In addition, the thesis should examine whether the measures are multidimensional and the dimensions they cover, and provide insights regarding the scales. The thesis should further include an abstract, an introduction to the topic, a detailed description of the literature search process and applied analytical techniques, the results of the meta-analysis (including the investigation of several moderators), and a discussion of the findings and their implications for the field. The meta-analysis requires a thorough literature search, coding, and analysis of articles on OLC (i.e., conceptual articles, qualitative, and quantitative studies).

The literature search (preferably supported by artificial intelligence tools) would involve the use of a variety of databases, and should be guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identified studies would then be critically evaluated and meta-analytically synthesized to examine the role of moderators and extract the main findings. The meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the current state of knowledge regarding the role of OLC in firm performance, identify gaps in current research, and suggest areas for future research.

Starting literature

Chiva, R., Alegre, J., & Lapiedra, R. (2006, March). Development and validation of an instrument to measure organizational learning capability. In International Conference on Organizational Learning, Knowledge, and Capabilities (OLKC) at the University of Warwick.

Alegre, J. & Chiva, R. (2008). Assessing the impact of organizational learning capability on product innovation performance: An empirical test. Technovation, 28(6), 315-326.

Tohidi, H., Mohsen Seyedaliakbar, S., & Mandegari, M. (2012). Organizational learning measurement and the effect on firm innovation. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 25(3), 219-245.

Topic 7: Determinants of cross-cultural adjustment: A meta-analytic review

Cross-cultural adjustment, in the context of international management research, refers to the process by which individuals adapt to a foreign cultural environment. This concept is of utmost importance as successful cross-cultural adjustment plays a crucial role in the success of international assignments and overall organizational performance. The objective of this bachelor thesis is to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of the relationships between CCA and the various potential determinants that may foster the CCA development.

Starting literature

Black, J. S., Mendenhall, M., & Oddou, G. (1991). Toward a comprehensive model of international adjustment: An integration of multiple theoretical perspectives. Academy of Management Review, 16(2), 291-317.

Hechanova, R., Beehr, T. A., & Christiansen, N. D. (2003). Antecedents and consequences of employees’ adjustment to overseas assignment: a meta‐analytic review. Applied psychology, 52(2), 213-236.

Nguyen, A. M. D., & Benet-Martínez, V. (2013). Biculturalism and adjustment: A meta-analysis. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 44(1), 122-159.

Topic 8: Outcomes of cross-cultural adjustment: A meta-analytic review

Starting literature

Topic 9: A critical review of the use of meta-analysis in the international management/international business literature

A meta-analysis is a statistical technique used to combine the results of multiple studies that have examined the same relationship between two variables (e.g., the association between firms` international experience and export performance). The goal of a meta-analysis is to provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the direction, strength, and homogeneity of a relationship. The main objective of this bachelor thesis is threefold. First, the thesis should identify existing meta-analytic studies in the international management/international business literature (i.e., meta-analytic studies published in a predefined set of major journals). Second, the thesis should use a methodological lens to systematically review and to critically analyze and evaluate the use of meta-analytic methods in this area (e.g., literature search, inclusion/exclusion criteria, coding, quality analysis, outlier analysis, bivariate meta-analysis, moderator analysis, sensitivity analysis/robustness checks). Specifically, the thesis should assess the quality of the most commonly applied approaches and reported methodological aspects of the meta-analytic studies in this field. Finally, the thesis should also include best practice recommendations on the methodological aspect. Students who are interested in international marketing, entrepreneurship, supply chain management or other areas of management could also write this topic with a focus on the respective field of research.

Starting literature

Buckley, P. J., Devinney, T. M., & Tang, R. W. (2014). Meta-analytic research in international business and international management. The multinational enterprise and the emergence of the global factory, 100-134.

Hansen, C., Steinmetz, H., & Block, J. (2022). How to conduct a meta-analysis in eight steps: a practical guide. Management Review Quarterly, 72(1), 1-19.

Kirca, A. H., & Yaprak, A. (2010). The use of meta-analysis in international business research: Its current status and suggestions for better practice. International Business Review, 19(3), 306-314.

Topic 10: Just like a fine wine? The timely use of data in quantitative empirical international management/international business research

When is data too old to inform international management/international business (IM/IB) research and practice? In general, it should take about three years from data collection to journal publication but recent meta-analytic studies indicate that the data that is used in IB/IM research is often much older than this. The focus of this bachelor thesis is on the impact of data currency on the results and conclusions of empirical studies in the IM/IB field. The thesis will examine the age of data in quantitative empirical studies and the extent to which the age of data affects research findings. It will explore the ways in which the use of older data can introduce bias and error into empirical studies, and the ways in which this can impact the conclusions and implications drawn by researchers. The thesis will also explore approaches used to ensure the relevance and timeliness of data in international management and international business research. It will examine the ways in which researchers can assess the age of data and determine its suitability for a specific study, and the ways in which data can be updated or refreshed to ensure its continued relevance. Additionally, the thesis will also discuss the impact of the age of data on the generalizability of the research findings. The thesis will examine how the use of older data might limit the ability to generalize findings to current contexts and how to overcome such limitations. Overall, the thesis will provide an in-depth examination of the impact of data currency on the results and conclusions of quantitative empirical IM/IB research, and offer recommendations for best practices to ensure the relevance and timeliness of data used in research.

Starting literature

Robins, J. A. (2004). When does the age of data matter? Notes on the selection of data for strategy research. In Research Methodology in Strategy and Management. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Different field but highly informative: Dale, C. M., & Logsdon, M. C. (2022). When is data too old to inform nursing science and practice?. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(12), e155-e156.

Different field but highly informative: Nelson, M. S., Wooditch, A., & Gabbidon, S. L. (2014). Is criminology out-of-date? A research note on the use of common types of data. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 25(1), 16-33.

Topic 11: The use of cultural value dimensions as moderators in meta-analytic studies: A critical review

This thesis explores the use of cultural value dimensions, such as Hofstede and GLOBE, as moderating variables in meta-analytic studies in the field of international management and international business (IM/IB) as well as related fields. The thesis will begin by providing an overview of the cultural value dimensions frameworks. This will include a discussion of the dimensions and dimensions' measurement, and the ways in which they have been used as moderators to better understand and explain cultural differences in the IM/IB contexts. The thesis will then review the existing literature on the use of cultural value dimensions as moderators in meta-analytic studies. It will examine the ways in which these dimensions have been used to explain variations in the results of previous studies and the extent to which they have been successful in doing so. The review will also examine the methodological issues that have been associated with the use of cultural value dimensions as moderators in meta-analytic studies. The thesis will then conduct a critical review of the literature, identifying the strengths and limitations. It will also discuss potential areas for future research, such as identifying alternative approaches or methods to use cultural value dimensions as moderators. Finally, the thesis will conclude by offering best practices recommendations. This will include suggestions for improving the measurement and operationalization of cultural value dimensions, as well as recommendations for addressing methodological issues that have been associated with their use.

Topic 12: Beyond the numbers and graphs: A critical review of bibliometric studies in the international management/international business literature

The objective of this thesis is to examine the existing literature on bibliometrics in the field of international management and international business (IM/IB). The thesis will provide an overview of the key bibliometric studies in this field, as well as a critical evaluation of their methodology, findings, and implications. The thesis will provide an overview of bibliometrics, including its definition and key concepts. The third chapter will present the methodology for the thesis, including the research design, and the data collection and analysis.The fourth chapter will review the existing literature on bibliometric studies in the IM/IB field and will critically evaluate the methodology used in the bibliometric studies, including the data sources, metrics, and statistical techniques. The fifth chapter will will summarize the main findings of the thesis, discuss the implications of the research for international management/international business literature and identify areas for future research.

Starting literature

Block, J. H., & Fisch, C. (2020). Eight tips and questions for your bibliographic study in business and management research. Management Review Quarterly, 70(3), 307-312.

Linnenluecke, M. K., Marrone, M., & Singh, A. K. (2020). Conducting systematic literature reviews and bibliometric analyses. Australian Journal of Management, 45(2), 175-194.

Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429-472.

Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285-296.

Koseoglu, M. A., Rahimi, R., Okumus, F., & Liu, J. (2016). Bibliometric studies in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 61, 180-198.