How can companies better reach customers, promote innovation or manage risks effectively? This year’s winners of the UGO Prize have addressed these and other questions. Every year, the Unternehmergruppe Ostwestfalen e.V., in collaboration with Paderborn University, honours outstanding Bachelor’s and master’s theses from the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics that combine academic excellence with high practical relevance.
The award, worth 750 euros each, was presented by Thomas Koch, Chairman of the Unternehmergruppe Ostwestfalen, and Melanie Cramer, Managing Director of the Paderborn/Höxter Employers’ Association.
Two prizes were awarded for bachelor's theses. Pia Naehring explored how appreciative and psychologically safe communication encourages employees to contribute their own ideas. Her research shows that the way people are addressed can make a significant contribution to an organisation’s capacity for innovation. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr Wendelin Schnedler.
Linn Ochs, supervised by Prof. Dr Caren Sureth-Sloane, investigated the importance of tax compliance management systems for companies. Her thesis illustrates how such systems can help to manage risks, create transparency and utilise compliance as a strategic success factor.
In the master's thesis category, the award went to Mike Langendorf, who was supervised by Prof. Dr Dennis Kundisch. In a field experiment, he investigated how gamification influences customer behaviour in e-commerce. His findings provide companies with valuable insights into how digital customer experiences can be designed and the customer journey specifically improved.
The UGO Prize is awarded annually to students whose research addresses current challenges in business and society and develops practical solutions. The award also highlights the close collaboration between academia and industry in the region. This year, the UGO Prize was coordinated by Prof. Dr Matthias Trier, Prof. Dr Wendelin Schnedler and Prof. Dr Jan Riepe.
