Research
Our research focuses on three broad areas of management research and their intersections:
- Strategy & Entrepreneurship
- Innovation and Digital Transformation
- Sustainability Management, Diversity
Our research context are often start-ups, family firms, hidden champions and Mittelstand firms.

Our research primarily employs quantitative-empirical methods, utilizing data from surveys, experiments, and objective sources such as company balance sheets, patents, and other datasets. We also focus on methodological research, including meta-analytical studies and the application of machine learning and natural language processing techniques to patent and text data.
Below is a detailed overview of our research topics (in alphabetical order). By clicking on the links, you can access the corresponding publications:
- Digitalization
- Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship education
- Entrepreneurial finance and SME finance
- Family firms and family offices
- Foundation-owned firms
- Intellectual property (patents and trademarks)
- Hidden champions
- Innovation management
- Mittelstand firms
- Research methods
- Social entrepreneurship
- Sustainability management, diversity
Dissertations and habilitations
- Completed dissertations and habilitations
Data sets
- Available data sets
(Academic) publications