Research Activities

Research at the ISM focuses on various areas of expertise. Research projects are carried out across locations at the institutes and networks in scientific practice are expanded and established. The departments, to which all university professors are assigned according to their thematic expertise, bundle specialist expertise in the management areas in which the ISM is active and represent an important interface between research and teaching. The aim of acquiring third-party funding here is to involve the professors the transformation of research expertise into ISM's degree and doctoral programs. With these doctoral programs in cooperation with international partner universities, university professors can carry out practical projects together with young researchers. In addition, the ISM is involved in research networks such as completed and ongoing research projects and various application processes, for example, the Science Master Plan of the City of Dortmund, the IHK Cologne and the Entrepreneurs Club Cologne (ECC). Participation as a partner in the joint project of the “German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ)” project, which was funded by the BMBF in the first phase from November 2018 to October 2022, also opens up further fields of research in the field of rescue robotics. The main focus is on the development of a brand identity, the derivation of a social media concept, the development of a business model and demand analyzes for drone pilot training, in which volunteers from the volunteer fire department are familiarized with the technology, the possibilities but also the limits of the application.

Focus of research

According to their focus on teaching and studying, the ISM research and development projects embrace various objectives and interdisciplinary approaches. More specifically, research focuses on the following themes:

• Internationalization of the economy
• Research in energy and environmental economics
• Research in tourism
• Research in logistics and information
• Research in finance and banking
• Research in marketing and communication
• Research in leadership and motivation
• Research in organization and human resources

The published ISM research report shows this variety of topics in detail.

• ISM Research Report 2023 download (PDF)
• ISM Research Report 2022 download (PDF)
• ISM Research Report 2021 download (PDF)
• ISM Research Report 2020 download (PDF)
• ISM Research Report 2019 download (PDF)
• ISM Research Report 2018 download (PDF)

Research cooperation

Since 2011, the ISM has been involved in various research networks, such as the accompanying research of the Innovation City Ruhr 2011 to 2015, the German Center for Rescue Robotics 2018 to 2022 and various ongoing activities and projects in the entrepreneurial field. From these activities, the ISM was able to gain universities, institutes and consulting firms as cooperation partners for further project applications. Particularly in the areas of digitalization and sustainability, third-party funded research focuses on highly topical research areas. In addition, the ISM institutes and departments are involved in professional networks. The ISM offers doctoral opportunities in cooperation with international university partners. These cooperations include Strathclyde Business School (SBS) and Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) in Scotland, Bond Business School (BBS) in Australia, Westcliff University in Irvine, USA, and Universitat Ramon Lull in Barcelona. With this cooperative supervision of doctoral projects, common research topics can be defined and addressed at an international level. This allows the ISM to further intensify its international cooperation and also meet the demand for practical doctoral opportunities.

Publications