Topics of doctoral theses

for the year 2024/2025
program Company (Corporate) Management and Economics

The role of internal entrepreneurship in building competitive potential of SMEs
The goal of research is to extend knowledge on factors that affect the abilities of SME to develop internal entrepreneurship and to acquire employees with high entrepreneurial skills. The value added of the research relates practical business implications that can be used by SMEs in Central Europe.
Sustainable enterprise development with respect to managerial and financial challenges
The goal of the topic is to extend knowledge on the main constraints negatively affecting sustainability potential of Central European enterprises. The value added of the topic relates to the possibility of finding new models and organizational solutions supporting sustainable growth of enterprises.
The barriers and challenges for central European enterprises in utilizing Industry 4.0 potential
The research on the financial and organizational factors affecting the managerial constraints and abilities to take advantage of Industry 4.0 potential, from the perspective of its practical business importance should be considered as the long term value of the current research topic.

Determinants of intra-industry trade in a selected industry
Intra-industry trade is the simultaneous import and export of products within the same industry. They include the final products also their parts and components. The main goal of the thesis is to examine the micro and macroeconomic factors determining intra-industry trade in a selected industry.

Sustainable Business Models
The aim of the research is to develop sustainable business models.

Valuing start-up firms in respect to the life cycle stage
Standard valuation methods are difficult to apply in the case of technology-oriented start-ups. Start-ups are characterized by a complex capital structure and consideration must be given to the preferred securities and dilutive impact of options when valuing common stocks. Hence, alternative valuation approaches are increasingly of interest to researchers and practitioner. The research will focus on approaches to the valuation of start-ups applied by angel investors and venture capital funds in the Czech start-up environment and development. The research results will be used to adapt valuation methods to the conditions of the local start-up environment.

Quantitative Methods in Managerial Decision Making
The research will focus on the analysis of current state of quantitative approach application in company management and on the design of models which are used as a tool for support of managerial decision-making.

Territorial servitization in choosen industry
To get insights into servitization adoption across geographic regions, manufacturing organisations, transformation and transition pathways, barriers and enablers. Collaborative, territory-based manufacturing firms typically maintain high levels of productivity and innovation.
Service design for smart (digital) servitization
The role of service design can be a enabler of integrated smart offering and digital servitization. Companies seem to lack insights into the kind of service design routines. The aim is to understand how manufacturers utilize creative design principles and develop service design routines.