Bachelor & Master Theses
We offer a wide variety of courses in the BSc-, MSc-, and PhD programs of the HSG as well as courses on the executive education level and customized inhouse-seminars.
Final Bachelor and Master Theses
We offer a variety of final theses for the bachelor and the master level. If you are interested in one of these thesis, please contact the respective contact person.
(Competence Center I-Lab) Subject: Operation Management
Technology-based innovations in the insurance industry (Competence Center I-Lab) Subject: Operation Management
The I-Lab is a joint initiative of the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich with focus on the use of Internet of Things technologies in the insurance industry. Together with leading insurance companies and technology provider, the explores the possibilities of technology-driven innovation in the insurance industry. Currently, Bachelor and Master's theses are announced in the following areas: telematics systems in the motor vehicle insurance: market potential, customer adoption, induced behavioral change, strategic implications, the use of smart prevention technologies in the areas of household, industrial, and transport insurance, active risk management processes in supply chain management, Risikoababhängige Insurance products in the transport
More Information: determinants and impact of fuel price fluctuations on the example of Italy Details Potential Analysis for Pay-As-You-Risk (PAYR) MF-insurance in Switzerland Details. For further details please contact Johannes Paefgen und Alexander Skorna (johannes.paefgen@unisg.ch / alexander.skorna@unisg.ch)
- The impact of ICT on the consumer perception in the field of Electric Mobility and elelctric vehicles
Area: Operation Management (chair Prof. Fleisch)
Supervised by Johannes Tulusan (johannes.tulusan@unisg.ch)
The objective of the research project is to define, develop and measure the impact of an on-board communication device & service platform for 'sustainable' use-cases around Electric Mobility (specifically Electric Vehicles). The project consortium consists of 12 partners including influential vehicle manufacturers, automotive suppliers, electricity providers, e-service providers, ERP software companies and the research community. Given the fact that the project is placed at the forefront of the ICT electric vehicle development, the respective flexibility for adopting the defined, developed and tested solutions in practice is a major contribution to the E-Mobility industry.
Research areas can include both fields of research interest (business and / or IT). Examples are:
Definition of eMobility scenarios with an understanding of consumer behaviour in the eMobiity industry (business related)
- Analysis of mobile apps that focus on behavior change in health domains
Area: Operation Management (chair Prof. Fleisch)
Supervised by Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch)
Background: Persuasive technology is broadly defined as technology that is designed to change attitudes or behaviors of users through persuasion or social influence. For many people it is not uncommon anymore to have tried using their mobile phone to track physical activity (e.g. Runkeeper), moderate nutrition (e.g. Noom), or quit smoking (e.g. Quitter). Other apps target specific diseases such as diabetes or asthma, or remind people for timely drug intake. Some apps such as pregnancy apps already act as expert guides supporting people over a longer period of time.
Research Objective: Emerging apps target at different behavior changes and employ different kind of techniques. People reflect on their data using different tools for personal informatics. Research is needed to analyze how apps try to guide users and aim to promote healthy behavior. These apps can be evaluated from different perspectives like persuasive techniques, gamification elements, or the kind of feedback given. It is the goal of the thesis to add to the understanding how apps can support users set and achieve their health-related goals and derive design guidance on how to sustain user interest over time.
Application: Begin at earliest convenience. Language: German or English. Please contact Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch) and supply your CV and a transcript of course achievements.
www.i-lab.ch: The I-Lab is a joint initiative of the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich. We explore design and technology-based innovation in the insurance sector.
- Analysis of mobile strategies of health insurance companies
Area: Operation Management (chair Prof. Fleisch)
Supervised by Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch)
Background: As smartphones and apps are revolutionizing the way we use the Internet and connect with other people or companies, it is no wonder that many insurers are looking for applications to connect with their clients to add more value to their offerings but also to reach their clients in a more frequent and interactive fashion. While there are already popular examples in some insurance domains such as mobile claims management (e.g. Nationwide Insurance, Mobiliar Notruf), there are so far only few popular apps of health insurers.
Research Objective: It is in the scope of this research to create an overview about the current landscape of mobile initiatives of health insurers. What are the areas they begin with and what are key factors to consider when evolving mobile service strategies?
Application: Begin at earliest convenience. Language: German or English. Please contact Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch) and supply your CV and a transcript of course achievements.
www.i-lab.ch: The I-Lab is a joint initiative of the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich. We explore design and technology-based innovation in the insurance sector.
- Information seeking and disease management of patients in the smartphone-age
Area: Operation Management (chair Prof. Fleisch)
Supervised by Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch)
Background: Over the years, the Internet and its websites and forums has gained more and more importance for patients that seek for information regarding their disease. Websites like http://www.netdoktor.de or http://www.patientslikeme.com are an important source of information for many patients. They don’t only act as information providers anymore but add functionalities that enable patients to interact with each other, manage their disease, and track progress. The characteristics of smartphones even add more functionalities and new ways of interaction. They potentially know about the location of the user, can connect with additional sensors (e.g. http://www.withings.com), can remind patients to do certain actions (like measuring pulse or weight), or push information to them in real time.
Research Objective: Emerging apps add value to existing offerings or provide a completely new value proposition. It is in the scope of this research to examine how emerging apps add value for the patients and how this influences their information seeking and disease management behavior.
Application: Begin at earliest convenience. Language: German or English. Please contact Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch) and supply your CV and a transcript of course achievements.
www.i-lab.ch: The I-Lab is a joint initiative of the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich. We explore design and technology-based innovation in the insurance sector.
- How technologies (potentially) change the doctor/patient relationship
Area: Operation Management (chair Prof. Fleisch)
Supervised by Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch)
Background: Smartphones and their apps hold great potential to broaden the relationship between doctors and patients beyond the points of physical interaction at the doctor’s office. However, so far there are only few examples of doctors that use technologies such as Web 2.0 or apps to connect with their patients. Even email seems to be something that is not broadly used among doctors when interacting with patients.
Research Objective: Research is needed to evaluate how technology and specifically smartphone apps could broaden the relationship between doctors and patients. Requirements of the different stakeholders need to be collected and transferred into design considerations. How can doctors exploit new technologies, what are the opportunities and what are the risks that emerge? Which existing processes need to change or need to be replaced?
Application: Begin at earliest convenience. Language: German or English. Please contact Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch) and supply your CV and a transcript of course achievements.
www.i-lab.ch: The I-Lab is a joint initiative of the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich. We explore design and technology-based innovation in the insurance sector.
- Business models of doctors
Area: Operation Management (chair Prof. Fleisch)
Supervised by Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch)
Background: A business model can be understood as simplified picture of a company that aims at delivering performance (which typically related to generating revenue), and that comprises essential elements of the company plus the relations between those elements. From a theoretical perspective business model research gained importance over the last twenty years. It has been shown that business performance and emphasis on business models and business model innovation within a company can significantly correlate. Traditionally research on business models has been subject to the agenda of organizational management. The challenges of new technologies and their application have forced researchers to focus on e-Business models.
Doctors’ practices can be seen as small companies that also need to innovate their business models over time. Due to the trends in the healthcare sector, doctors’ practices e.g. in Germany are under high economical pressure and subject to regulatory actions by politics and insurances. Still up to date there has been little research into the business models of doctors.
Research Objective: It is in the scope of this thesis to describe and analyze current business models of doctors’ practices. In addition to a description of the different business models that emerge, it is the goal of the thesis to point out business model innovation opportunities. Specific focus should be on analyzing the impact of new technologies such as Smartphone apps that might influence the relationship between doctors and patients and in turn influence the doctors’ business models.
Application: Begin at earliest convenience. Language: German or English. Please contact Dirk Volland (dirk.volland@unisg.ch) and supply your CV and a transcript of course achievements.
www.i-lab.ch: The I-Lab is a joint initiative of the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich. We explore design and technology-based innovation in the insurance sector.