From Environmental Protection to Corporate Crises: Three Graduates from Witten/Herdecke University Were Honored for Their Research

Three graduates from the Faculty of Management, Economics and Society at the University of Witten/Herdecke (UW/H) were honoured on 6 November at the graduation ceremony for their outstanding academic work. Leander Veit, Christian Holtz and Takashi Themann received the Consileon Research Prize for their bachelor’s and master’s theses respectively. Dr Nicole Natalie Steller was awarded the zeb Doctoral Prize, which was presented for the first time. The award-winning theses demonstrate how academic research can open up new perspectives on societal and business challenges.

How international trade influences environmental protection

In his Bachelor’s thesis for the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPÖ) degree programme, Leander Veit Christian Holtz investigated whether international trade agreements can encourage states to adopt more environmental legislation. To this end, he analysed data on trade and environmental agreements, as well as on environmental legislation in various countries between 1990 and 2013. His findings show that countries which conclude trade agreements containing environmental provisions also, on average, enact more environmental laws. This correlation is particularly evident in low- and middle-income countries. The thesis thus provides important insights into how international agreements can strengthen environmental protection

Why family businesses react differently in crises

In his Master’s thesis for the Strategy & Organization (M. Sc.) degree programme, Takashi Themann examined why entrepreneurial families react differently to economic crises. Whilst some families hold on to their businesses even under significant financial pressure, others opt to sell or make a fresh start. Drawing on interviews with seven entrepreneurial families, Themann demonstrated that it is not only economic factors that play a role here. The extent to which the family links its own identity to the business is also a decisive factor. The findings provide new approaches to the consultancy and restructuring of family businesses.

Social responsibility: How seriously do companies take their own values?

In her PhD thesis, ‘Corporate Purpose – Concept, Complications and Consequences’, Dr Nicole Natalie Steller examined how companies actually put their social values and goals into practice. Many companies today promise to contribute to the common good beyond mere economic profit. But how credible are these promises? Steller’s research shows that fundamental values are reflected in specific decisions. Simply setting out promises in corporate mission statements is not enough. This becomes particularly clear when companies would have to forego economic benefits in order to live up to their own standards. The research also highlights that managers at different hierarchical levels assess the credibility of these values differently.

“These award-winning pieces of work demonstrate what is important to us at UW/H: excellent research that critically examines socially relevant issues and provides impetus for practice. We are delighted that Consileon and zeb are supporting this commitment,” says Prof. Dr Nils-Christian Bormann, Dean of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Society.