Please send us the following documents between March 11, 2026 and April 10,2026 to Ms. Petra Junge, email: junge[at]marketing.uni-frankfurt[dot]de and a copy to koscher[at]wiwi.uni-frankfurt[dot]de and hohen[at]econ.uni-frankfurt.de.

• Letter of motivation with topic proposal (topic from the list below)
• Grade transcript QIS
• Curriculum vitae

1. CEO Narcissism and Acquisition Premiums: The Goal of this Master’s thesis is to examine whether more narcissistic CEOs pay higher acquisition premiums and to identify the conditions under which this effect is strongest (e.g., high managerial discretion, weak governance, buoyant markets).
2. CEO Narcissism and Market Reactions to M&A: The Goal of this Master’s thesis is to develop a language-based indicator of CEO narcissism from public communications and to test whether higher narcissism predicts more negative stock market reactions at M&A announcements.
3. Developing and LLM-Based Measure of CEO Narcissism: The Goal of this Master’s thesis is to build and validate an LLM-based measure of CEO narcissism using CEO texts and to assess reliability and validity by benchmarking it against established narcissism proxies and related constructs.
4. Implications and Consequences of CEO Narcissism - A Meta-Analysis: The Goal of this Master’s thesis is to systematically synthesize prior empirical evidence on the effects of CEO narcissism on firm-level outcomes (e.g., strategic risk-taking, M&A, innovation, CSR/ESG, misconduct, performance, volatility) and to estimate the overall magnitude of these relationships while explaining heterogeneity across studies (e.g., industry dynamism, governance strength, CEO discretion, measurement approach, country context).

If you have any questions on these topics, please contact Prof. Dr. Eva Koscher: koscher[at]wiwi.uni-frankfurt[dot]de

1. Building Valuation Capabilities: How Dedicated M&A Functions Shape Deal Structuring for Uncertain Assets:

Research Question: Do firms with dedicated M&A functions and higher M&A capability employ systematically different valuation approaches and deal structures for uncertain biotechnology assets than firms without such capabilities?
Method: Quantitative analysis comparing deal structures across acquirers with varying M&A capability levels. Sample of 100+ pharma/biotech acquisitions matched with acquirer characteristics (M&A function presence, deal frequency, integration track record). Dependent variables capture deal structure features; independent variables measure M&A capability proxies. Regression analysis with acquirer fixed effects.

1. Quantitative Test of Anticipatory Integration Logic:  From Valuation to Integration: Testing the Relationship Between Deal Structures and Post-Acquisition Autonomy in Biotechnology Acquisitions

Research Question: Do deal structure characteristics (milestone proportion, earnout presence, licensing components) predict post-acquisition target autonomy in biotechnology acquisitions?
Method: Quantitative analysis of 150-200 biotechnology acquisitions (2015-2024) using data from BioMedTracker, Evaluate Pharma, and SEC filings. Independent variables capture deal structure characteristics; dependent variables measure post-acquisition autonomy through proxies including subsidiary retention, leadership continuity, R&D location persistence, and publication output. Control variables include developmental stage, deal size, acquirer experience, and target characteristics. Regression analysis tests hypothesized relationships; robustness checks employ fsQCA for configurational patterns.

If you have any questions on these topics, please contact Mr. Lukas Holz lukas.holz15[at]gmail[dot]com

An information sheet on writing the Master's thesis can be found on the website of the Examination Office.