The supervision of bachelor theses at the Institute for Managing Sustainability is aimed at graduates of our ZuWi II courses and takes place within the framework of peer groups. If you have any questions, please contact Anja Grüll.

Circular Economy in EU Projects

Twelve students of economics and social sciences write their bachelor theses at the Institute for Sustainability Management in 2022. They devote to the topic "Circular economy in EU projects within the framework of the Horizon 2020 funding program". The focus of the work is the analysis of projects within the framework of the EU funding program Horizon 2020, which aim to promote the circular economy (CE).

As part of the bachelor thesis, the students deal with the question of how the implementation of the circular economy is dealt with in certain thematic areas/sectors. They analyze the projects based on the demographic characteristics, the focus and the objective, the activities carried out, the implementation of different circular promoting strategies and the actual results.

Each of the individual bachelor theses focuseson a selected area (e.g. waste, water, plastics & packaging,..) and, examines the typical characteristics and the implementation of the circular economy. In this way, the students gain a basic understanding of CE strategies, the structuring of EU funding programs, the implementation of the CE at EU level through projects and an overview of the current trends in the circular economy.

Circular economy (CE) in various European countries, the US and Japan

Thirteen students wrote their bachelor theses at the Institute for Managing Sustainability in 2021.  The theses were devoted to the topic circular economy (CE) in various European countries, the US and Japan. The CE is a sustainable alternative to the dominant linear “take-make-waste” mode of production and consumption. The European Union places the circular economy at the center of its sustainability strategy and encourages its implementation through various funding programs, action plans and regulations. Following this trend, increasingly more countries undertake changes in their institutional framework to foster the transition towards a circular economy.

This year's bachelor students created “CE Country Profiles” based on the institutional framework of their chosen country. Focal point of the theses was the analysis of CE framework conditions, strategies, legislation and relevant actors. Each student gained an overview of the prevailing national CE structures, general CE dimensions and the ongoing international CE debate.

Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives

Fifteen students in the economic and social sciences program wrote their bachelor theses at the Institute for Managing Sustainability in 2018. The theses were devoted to the topic “CSR Initiatives”.

Business, public sector and civil society actors have created a multiplicity of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives across a number of different sectors. Such initiatives strive to promote socially responsible corporate behavior and to collaboratively address sustainability challenges. CSR initiatives can take a variety of forms and pursue different goals, including but not limited to change in management practices, the development of CSR standards or the creation of networks. Each bachelor thesis focusses on one selected initiative and analyses it as a case study according to a jointly developed set of criteria. In their work, the students examine the history, structure, membership, activities and impacts of their chosen initiative in detail.

Corporate Social Responsibility in different countries

Fifteen students in the economic and social sciences program wrote their bachelor theses at the Institute for Managing Sustainability in 2017. The theses were devoted to the topic “CSR in different countries”.

Focal point of the theses was the analysis of CSR framework conditions, policies, initiatives and pioneering businesses in various European countries and Japan. The students engaged in investigating the differing economic, societal and environmental conditions of corporate sustainability practices in various European countries. They analyzed the major legal requirements concerning reporting and transparency, looked at existing national CSR-networks and initiatives and identified key pioneering corporations regarding CSR.

Sustainability Impact Reporting

Fourteen students in the economic and social sciences program wrote their bachelor theses at the Institute for Managing Sustainability in 2016. The theses were devoted to the topic “Sustainability Impact Reporting”.

The theses focused on the analysis of sustainability reports in various industries concerning the reporting of corporations’ impacts. Conventional sustainability reporting mainly emphasizes sustainability activities of businesses and, as a result of that, concentrates on internal improvement and short-term success. Sustainability Impact Reporting enlarges this perspective and broadens its focus towards the impacts caused by companies on the economy, the environment and society. Each of the bachelor theses investigated the current standing in terms of sustainability reporting in one particular industry by analyzing 15-20 sustainability reports. The analysis was based on a framework that makes use of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Input-Output-Outcome-Impact (IOOI) method.

Stories of Impact

Eleven students in the economic and social sciences program wrote their bachelor theses at the Institute for Managing Sustainability in 2015. The theses were devoted to the topic “Stories of Impact”.

The students compiled an overview of the manifold impacts corporations cause through their business operations. To do so, they made use of sustainability reports, industry data and sound scientific methods. The goal of the theses was not to quantify or evaluate companies’ impacts, but rather to develop a solid understanding of impact pathways, varying dimensions of impacts and the scope of responsibility for these impacts. The results were presented in an “impact-map” in a clear and well-structured way to give a visualization of corporate impacts.