WHU
Founded in 2014 and lead by Professor Christina Günther, the IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises actively strengthens the profile of WHU in both research and the transfer of results into real-world situations.
Acting as mediator for the transfer of knowledge between WHU and regional companies, the Chair focuses on the continuous exchange between such research and practice.
The IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises has particular focus on the following fields of research:
  • Small Business Economics
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Behavioral and Experimental Economics
  • Behavioral Business Ethics 

Our Team

Assistant Professor Rainer Michael Rilke
Assistant Professor Rainer Michael Rilke
Assistant Professor
Fotini Noutsia
Fotini Noutsia
Personal Assistant
Dana Horvath
Dana Horvath
Research Assistant
Sebastian Lehnen
Sebastian Lehnen
External Doctoral Candidate
Dr. Philippa-Luisa Harhoff
Dr. Philippa-Luisa Harhoff
Alumna
Assistant Professor Nicole Gottschalck
Assistant Professor Nicole Gottschalck
Alumna
Dr. Yulia Litvinova
Dr. Yulia Litvinova
Alumna

News & Stories

A Meeting of Minds in Düsseldorf

A Meeting of Minds in Düsseldorf

Researchers and company representatives gather at IHK Düsseldorf’s Come & Cooperate event

 
Forum Mittelstand in March 2023

Forum Mittelstand in March 2023

70 executives discuss difficult conditions

 
Double Honour at the Family Business Review Awards

Double Honour at the Family Business Review Awards

Two studies by WHU professors were praised in the category "Best Family Business Review Article Honorable Mention".

 

Our Teaching – Bringing research into the classroom.

The IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises offers courses in the Bachelor of Science Program, the Master of Science Programs, and the MLB Program. Click on the courses below to find out more information:

Spring Term:

Assistant Professor Rilke
Sustainability in the Textile Industry
6. Semester / 2 SWS / 3 ECTS


Professor Günther
Seminar Market dynamics and Industrial Evolution
6. Semester / 2 SWS / 6 ECTS


Professor Günther
Seminar Business Wargaming
6. Semester / 2 SWS / 6 ECTS


Assistant Professor Rilke
Behavioral Business Ethics & Governance
6. Semester / 2 SWS / 3 ECTS

Assistant Professor Rilke
Field Experiments in Organizations - Design and Statistical Analysis
1.Semester / 2.5 SWS / 5 ECTS

Professor Günther
Social Entrepreneurship
Winter Term / 1,5 SWS


Professor Günther and Assistant Professor Gottschalck
Business Essentials Simulation Workshop
Summer Term

Publications – Our contributions to the field.

Economics Group

Günther, C., Belitski, M., Rejeb, N. (2023), Overcoming the ability-willingness paradox in small family firms’ collaborations, Small Business Economics, Vol. 60 (4), pp. 1409–1429.

Economics Group

Audretsch, D., Günther, C. (2023), SME research: SMEs’ internationalization and collaborative innovation as two central topics in the field, Journal of Business Economics : JBE = Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft : ZfB, Vol. 93 (6-7), pp. 1213–1229.

Economics Group

Litvinova, Y., Rilke, R., Günther, C. (2023), Me, myself, and I: image concerns and honesty in immersive VR, Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 149, 107950.

Economics Group

Audretsch, D., Günther, C., Lederer, A. (2022), Publishing in Small Business Economics: an entrepreneurship journal, Small Business Economics, Vol. 58 (2), pp. 1-5.

Economics Group

Belitski, M., Günther, C., Kritikos, A. S., Thurik, R. (2022), Economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on entrepreneurship and small businesses, Small Business Economics, Vol. 58 (2), pp. 593–609.

Economics Group

Günther, C., Lehmann, E. (2022), David B. Audretsch: Clarivate Citation Laureate 2021, Small Business Economics, Vol. 58 (2), pp. 7-12.

Economics Group

Audretsch, D., Belitski, M., Caiazza, R., Günther, C., Menter, M. (2022), From latent to emergent entrepreneurship: the importance of context, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Vol. 175, 121356.

Economics Group

Kraft, P., Günther, C., Kammerlander, N., Lampe, J. (2022), Overconfidence and entrepreneurship: a meta-analysis of different types of overconfidence in the entrepreneurial process, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 37 (4), 106207.

Economics Group

Günther, C., Ozcan, S., Saßmannshausen, D. (2022), Referrals among VCs and the length of due diligence: the effect of relational embeddedness, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 37 (5), 106230.

Economics Group

Liu, M., Günther, C. (2024), How do incumbents affect the founding of cooperatives? Evidence from the German electricity industry, Organization Studies, Vol. 45 (1), pp. 85–107.

Economics Group

Buenstorf, G., Günther, C., Wilfling, S. (2022), Submarket emergence, customer base expansion and strategic entry timing in the evolution of the German farm tractor industry, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 31 (4), pp. 1086–1112.

Economics Group

Wolff, S., Günther, C., Moog, P., Audretsch, D. (2023), The geography of the continuum of entrepreneurship activities - a first glance based on German data, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol. 48 (4), pp. 1243–1273.

Economics Group

Pollack, J., Maula, M., Allison, T., Renko, M., Günther, C. (2021), Making a contribution to entrepreneurship research by studying crowd-funded entrepreneurial opportunities, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 45 (2), pp. 247-262.

Economics Group

Gottschalck, N., Günther, C., Kellermanns, F. (2020), For whom are family-owned firms good employers? An exploratory study of the turnover intentions of blue- and white-collar workers in family-owned and non-family-owned firms, Journal of Family Business Strategy, Vol. 11 (3), 100281.

Economics Group

Prause, M., Günther, C. (2019), Technology diffusion of industry 4.0: an agent-based approach, International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics, Vol. 9 (1/2), pp. 29-48.

Economics Group

Gjerløv-Juel, P., Günther, C. (2019), Early employment expansion and long-run survival: examining employee turnover as a context factor, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 34 (1), pp. 80-102.

Economics Group

Rau, S., Schneider-Siebke, V., Günther, C. (2019), Family firm values explaining family firm heterogeneity, Family Business Review, Vol. 32 (2), pp. 195-215.

Economics Group

Günther, C., Belitski, M., Rejeb, N. (2023), Overcoming the ability-willingness paradox in small family firms’ collaborations, Small Business Economics, Vol. 60 (4), pp. 1409–1429.

Economics Group

Audretsch, D., Günther, C. (2023), SME research: SMEs’ internationalization and collaborative innovation as two central topics in the field, Journal of Business Economics : JBE = Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft : ZfB, Vol. 93 (6-7), pp. 1213–1229.

Economics Group

Litvinova, Y., Rilke, R., Günther, C. (2023), Me, myself, and I: image concerns and honesty in immersive VR, Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 149, 107950.

Economics Group

Audretsch, D., Günther, C., Lederer, A. (2022), Publishing in Small Business Economics: an entrepreneurship journal, Small Business Economics, Vol. 58 (2), pp. 1-5.

Economics Group

Belitski, M., Günther, C., Kritikos, A. S., Thurik, R. (2022), Economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on entrepreneurship and small businesses, Small Business Economics, Vol. 58 (2), pp. 593–609.

Economics Group

Günther, C., Lehmann, E. (2022), David B. Audretsch: Clarivate Citation Laureate 2021, Small Business Economics, Vol. 58 (2), pp. 7-12.

Economics Group

Audretsch, D., Belitski, M., Caiazza, R., Günther, C., Menter, M. (2022), From latent to emergent entrepreneurship: the importance of context, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Vol. 175, 121356.

Economics Group

Kraft, P., Günther, C., Kammerlander, N., Lampe, J. (2022), Overconfidence and entrepreneurship: a meta-analysis of different types of overconfidence in the entrepreneurial process, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 37 (4), 106207.

Economics Group

Günther, C., Ozcan, S., Saßmannshausen, D. (2022), Referrals among VCs and the length of due diligence: the effect of relational embeddedness, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 37 (5), 106230.

Economics Group

Liu, M., Günther, C. (2024), How do incumbents affect the founding of cooperatives? Evidence from the German electricity industry, Organization Studies, Vol. 45 (1), pp. 85–107.

Economics Group

Buenstorf, G., Günther, C., Wilfling, S. (2022), Submarket emergence, customer base expansion and strategic entry timing in the evolution of the German farm tractor industry, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 31 (4), pp. 1086–1112.

Economics Group

Wolff, S., Günther, C., Moog, P., Audretsch, D. (2023), The geography of the continuum of entrepreneurship activities - a first glance based on German data, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol. 48 (4), pp. 1243–1273.

Economics Group

Pollack, J., Maula, M., Allison, T., Renko, M., Günther, C. (2021), Making a contribution to entrepreneurship research by studying crowd-funded entrepreneurial opportunities, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 45 (2), pp. 247-262.

Economics Group

Gottschalck, N., Günther, C., Kellermanns, F. (2020), For whom are family-owned firms good employers? An exploratory study of the turnover intentions of blue- and white-collar workers in family-owned and non-family-owned firms, Journal of Family Business Strategy, Vol. 11 (3), 100281.

Economics Group

Prause, M., Günther, C. (2019), Technology diffusion of industry 4.0: an agent-based approach, International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics, Vol. 9 (1/2), pp. 29-48.

Economics Group

Gjerløv-Juel, P., Günther, C. (2019), Early employment expansion and long-run survival: examining employee turnover as a context factor, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 34 (1), pp. 80-102.

Economics Group

Rau, S., Schneider-Siebke, V., Günther, C. (2019), Family firm values explaining family firm heterogeneity, Family Business Review, Vol. 32 (2), pp. 195-215.

Forum Mittelstand

In close cooperation with the IHK Koblenz (Koblenz Chamber of Commerce and Industry), the Forum Mittelstand at WHU aims to present the latest scientific findings to small and medium-sized companies from the surrounding region. Through this event, the Forum Mittelstand hopes to make a significant impact and contribution to the economic and innovative power of such companies.

Schneider Foundation – We support research, teaching, and students.

The Foundation was established in April 1998 by Irmgard and Erich Schneider at WHU. Irmgard and Erich Schneider, as well as their son Peter Schneider and grandson Axel Schneider, were and are strongly socially motivated.

The foundation aims to promote activities at WHU that support the transfer of knowledge to SMEs in the region, e.g., in the field of digitalization for economic or social purposes.

The Schneider Foundation is managed by a five-member Board of Trustees and represented by its Chairman. The members of the Board of Trustees are: Dr. Andreas Fromm (Chairman), Peter H. Schneider, Dr. Axel Schneider, Doris Meyer and Peter Christ (WHU).

The foundation is associated with the IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) and supports teaching, research as well as project work.

Highlights

2021: Forum Mittelstand September on: "Online Recruiting"

2020: Webinar series for small and medium-sized enterprises on „Dealing with the Corona crisis

The Foundation also awards scholarships to WHU students who demonstrate an interest in practice-oriented research as well as an outstanding motivation to transfer knowledge to SMEs.

Highlights

2021: WHU In Praxi Outstanding Thesis Awards: Catharina Janz (winner) for her Master thesis “ESG and Investment Behavior – Does Corporates’ Engagement in Environment, Society, and Governance Impact Individual Investors’ Stock Market Decision-Making?” (supervised by Professor Burcin Yurtoglu, Chair of Corporate Finance)

2019: IHK Hochschulpreis der Wirtschaft: Daniel Davydov (winner) for his Bachelor thesis „Internationalization Strategy and Location Analysis for a SME

Contact person: Yulia Litvinova

In order to create ideal conditions for the research projects of students and doctoral candidates, the Schneider Lab has been set up. VR-glasses as well as a video conferencing system and smartboard offer the opportunity to try out new approaches to the work of the future.

The Lab is available to all WHU stakeholders.

For example, Bachelor students Cedric-Pascal Sommer and Eva Scheiwe, conducted experiments in the VR Lab as part of their final theses.

Contact person: Yulia Litvinova

 

Theses samples: 

Cedric-Pascal Sommer, BSc Thesis 2019

Abstract: Objective self-awareness theory predicts that individuals behave morally under increased self-awareness. This proposition requires a critical reflection in the context of Virtual Reality (VR). Results of the VR experiment show that when being exposed to the image of own avatar in a virtual mirror, individuals take significantly more time to submit a -- dishonest -- claim. However, it does not affect the level of dishonesty.

Eva Scheiwe, BSc Thesis 2019:

Abstract: The immersive Virtual Reality (VR) based experiment examines how the presence of virtual observers (avatars) influences the lying behavior. Results indicate that when lying cannot be detected, exposure to such an audience does not affect the level of dishonesty. This deviates from what the theory of social behavior suggests. They display, however, that individuals still prefer not to lie “to the full extent”.

Scholarship holders

Since the Schneider Foundation was established, about 50 students have been sponsored. Each year, the Foundation supports 4-5 scholarship holders. Click through the statements below to find out more about the scholarship holders.

1/7
Moritz Köberich
Scholarship: 2020-2022
BSc 2022
"The Schneider foundation scholarship supported me during my Bachelor studies at WHU and enabled me to enhance my knowledge about digitalization and technology. Looking forward I aim to enrich this expertise in a Master program in the fields of sustainability and innovation. From my personal experience I recommend all future scholarship holders to proactively engage within the chair to foster the knowledge exchange about SMEs and digital solutions."
Ananya Chattaraj
Scholarship: 2019-2021
MiM 2021
"I am currently working for Ultimate.ai in the customer service automation and conversational AI space. I am working with our technology and service partners to educate them about our product and execute co-marketing events for lead generation."
Luis Kirchner
Scholarship: 2022-2022
BSc 2022
"I am a business student from Germany with a passion for branding, marketing and storytelling. I thoroughly explored these topics in internships and on my own throughout my time at WHU. In the future, I aim to combine creative and business topics in my work and career, an effort in which the Schneider Foundation Scholarship has provided immense value over the last years."
Catharina Janz
Scholarship: 2017-2021 (paused during gap year)
BSc 2018, MSc 2021
"After graduating from the Master in Management program in 2021, I joined BCG in Munich. Since then, I have been working with various clients across diverse industries and topics - which keeps the job exciting. My focus remains on digital and sustainability projects, which is why I will further specialize in those subject areas."
Antonio Zill
Scholarship: 2019-2021
BSc 2019, MSc 2021
"Having undergone a second-chance education and a traineeship, I chose WHU because of its exceptional spirit and entrepreneurial mindset. In parallel to my studies, I contributed to the WHU community and beyond through various extracurricular activities - those are an especially unique chance for fellow students to develop themselves further. At the end of my studies and thanks to the financial sponsorship of the Schneider-Scholarship, I extended my skillset in the field of data analytics, ending up benchmarking my own machine learning algorithms for bankruptcy prediction. My advice for future scholars is to not only think about understanding statistical learning techniques but also about practical application, i.e., how to monetize such data as the future will bring up innovative business models in that field."
Emilia Gaebler
Scholarship: 2020-2022
BSc 2020, MSc 2022
"Given my background, I immediately resonated with the goals and priorities of the Schneider Foundation. Prior to WHU, I completed an apprenticeship as an 'Industriekauffrau' and worked for two years on the factory floor and the sales department at a German 'Mittelstand' company. I appreciate that the Scholarship offers not only monetary support, but also the opportunities to expand one’s knowledge through close cooperation with the IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. However, these opportunities need to be uncovered and pursued, they will not offer themselves up. How much you can learn and improve depends on your engagement. While I probably will not start my career in a SME directly after University, I am confident that my road will lead back there in the midterm, not least thanks to the renewed interest gained through my time as a scholarship recipient."
Daniel Davydov
Scholarship: 2017-2018
BSc 2018
"I am currently living in Dubai and work as an Associate at BCG. We support businesses and governments in the Middle East with their strategic challenges and transformation efforts. Piece of advice for WHU students: Leverage WHU’s international network and start your career abroad - this will help your expanding your horizon and multicultural skills."
1/7

Fostering connections – Enabling theory to grow.

Through close cooperation with universities and industrial partners, the Chair is able to transfer knowledge from theory to applied science. The following partner companies and institutions support the IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in this commitment:

Get in touch with us –

We look forward to hearing from you.
Professor Christina Günther
Professor Christina Günther
Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises