Over the last few days, several members of our department attended the 46th ICIS – The International Conference on Information Systems 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the most prestigious conferences in the Information Systems community.

• Prof. Jan vom Brocke took part in the panel “A discussion with the AIS presidents”. Together with his co-authors André Sagodi, Benjamin van Giffen, Johannes Schniertshauer, and Klemen Niehues, he received the AIS Senior Scholars Best IS Publication Award 2025 for their paper “How Audi Scales Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing – MIS Quarterly Executive”.
• Shariga Sivanathan presented her research with Michael Schüngel and Tobias Brandt on digitalization initiative in healthcare at the pre-ICIS workshops SIG Health and SIG Adit. As part of the AIS Entrepreneurial Innovation Fellowship, she also presented her research with Tobias Brandt on failure of digital ventures. In addition, she was served as lead chair for the AIS Doctoral Student Corner and played a key role in organizing all activities for the PhD students. Shariga received the AIS Doctoral Student College Volunteer Service Award 2025 for outstanding service and was elected as the next AIS Doctoral Student President.
• Dr. Timo Strohmann joined the SIG AI workshop, contributing to discussions on trustworthy conversational agents in finance. He also received the AIS Senior Scholars Best IS Publication Award 2025, together with his co-authors Ricarda Schlimbach, Bijan Khosrawi-Rad, Tim C. Lange, and Susanne Robra-Bissantz, for their CAIS paper “Design Knowledge for Virtual Learning Companions from a Value-centered Perspective”.
• Daria Stumkat presented her research in the IS for Sustainability track, focusing on how IT strategy and sustainability strategy can be aligned in organizations.
• Robin Killewald contributed to the MSQE workshop on future of AI.
• Ronja Dobler and David Stanlein participated at the Paper-a-Thon and the SIG Green Workshop.

Furthermore, Fumi Kurihara and Josephine Moritz from the Flow Factory joined the ICIS to exchange ideas and connect with the international IS community.

Rund 500 Bachelorstudierende besuchten das Cineplex Münster und diskutierten anschließend mit Prof. Dr. Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Marketing und Medien, Dr. Annegret Saxe, Vorständin der Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, Prof. Dr. Jens Paschmann, Junior Professor für Marketing Analytics sowie Lara Zoe Minor, Studentin und Social Media Managerin am Marketing Center Münster, über den Film „The Social Network“. Die Veranstaltung ist Teil des Onboarding-Moduls für neue Bachelorstudierende der BWL an der Universität Münster.

Around 500 bachelor's students visited Cineplex Münster as part of the business administration onboarding module with Prof. Dr. Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, Chair of Marketing and Media, Dr. Annegret Saxe, CEO of Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, Prof. Dr. Jens Paschmann, Junior Professor of Marketing Analytics, and Lara Zoe Minor, student and social media manager at the Marketing Centre Münster. The event is part of the onboarding module for new bachelor's students of business administration at the University of Münster.

Success at the prestigious WFI Consulting Cup 2025 in Ingolstadt: An independent team of business and economics students from the University of Münster won first place in the 24-hour case competition. The topic of the case study was ‘Strategic realignment and turnaround management in the defence sector: Developing a sustainable business model through technological innovation and operational efficiency improvements in a dynamic market environment’.

Erfolg beim renommierten WFI Consulting Cup 2025 in Ingolstadt: Ein unabhängiges Team von BWL- und VWL-Studierenden der Universität Münster gewann den 1. Platz im 24-stündigen Case-Wettbewerb. Das Thema der Fallstudie lautete "Strategische Neuausrichtung und Turnaround-Management im Verteidigungssektor: Entwicklung eines zukunftsfähigen Geschäftsmodells durch technologische Innovation und operative Effizienzsteigerung in einem dynamischen Marktumfeld".

Just in time for the Christmas holidays and the turn of the year, our review of 2025 has been published. The year was dominated by the strategic development of the School. Among other things, we adopted a new mission statement, the key points of which can be found in the individual chapters of the annual review.

Prof. Dr. Julia Backmann, Head of the Chair for Transformation of the Work at the University of Münster, explains in an interview with SPIEGEL current developments in the world of work and challenges common misconceptions: The often-cited accusation that Germans work too little cannot be substantiated with data. Many employees, particularly women, face heavy workloads due to long working hours, unpaid overtime, and additional care work. Efficiency, fair distribution of work, and structural frameworks are more decisive than the sheer number of hours worked.

Prof. Dr. Julia Backmann, Leiterin des Lehrstuhls zur Transformation der Arbeitswelt an der Universität Münster, erläutert in einem Interview mit dem SPIEGEL (06.12.2025) aktuelle Entwicklungen in der Arbeitswelt und räumt mit gängigen Vorurteilen auf: Der oft zitierte Vorwurf, Deutsche arbeiteten zu wenig, lässt sich mit Zahlen nicht belegen. Viele Beschäftigte, insbesondere Frauen, sind durch lange Arbeitszeiten, unbezahlte Überstunden und zusätzliche Care-Arbeit stark belastet. Effizienz, faire Arbeitsverteilung und strukturelle Rahmenbedingungen sind entscheidender als die reine Arbeitszeit.

Pünktlich zu den Weihnachtsfeiertagen und zum Jahreswechsel ist unser Rückblick auf 2025 erschienen. Das Jahr stand ganz im Zeichen der strategischen Weiterentwicklung der Fakultät. So haben wir u.a. ein neues Mission Statement verabschiedet, dessen Kernaussagen Sie auch im Jahresrückblick in den einzelnen Kapiteln wiederfinden.

In einer Zeit, in der Unternehmen weltweit Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) einsetzen, um Prozesse effizienter zu gestalten und neue Potenziale zu erschließen, stellt sich die Frage: Wie wirkt sich dieser technologische Wandel auf die Menschen aus, die in den Unternehmen arbeiten? Ein Forschungsteam des Instituts für Entrepreneurship der Universität Münster und der TU Braunschweig liefert nun neue Erkenntnisse zur Auswirkung von KI auf die Unternehmenspraxis und Digitalisierungskonzepte. Die Forscher zeigten, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen dem Ausmaß der KI-Adoption – also der Nutzung von KI-Systemen – in Unternehmen und der Arbeitszufriedenheit der Beschäftigten keiner simplen, linear steigenden Funktion folgt. Stattdessen lässt sich der Zusammenhang als umgekehrte U-förmige Kurve beschreiben. 

The Rectorate of the University of Münster honored 13 early-career researchers with the 2025 Dissertation Award at a ceremonial event in the Festive Hall of the Schloss. The awards were presented by Rector Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels and Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens, Vice-Rector for Academic Career Development and Diversity. The award for the School of Business & Economics was given to Dr. Christina Okoutsidou for her dissertation “Decoding AI Influencer’s Effectiveness: Multimodal Insights for Social Media Marketing”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Manfred Krafft. In addition, the Rectorate recognized the best doctoral theses of 2025.

Das Rektorat der Universität Münster hat in einer Feierstunde in der Aula im Schloss 13 Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und -wissenschaftler mit dem Dissertationspreis des Jahres 2025 ausgezeichnet. Rektor Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels und Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens, Prorektorin für akademische Karriereentwicklung und Diversity, verliehen die Auszeichnungen. Den Preis für die Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät erhielt Dr. Christina Okoutsidou für ihre Arbeit „Decoding AI Influencer’s Effectiveness: Multimodal Insights for Social Media Marketing“, betreut von Prof. Dr. Manfred Krafft. Außerdem hat das Rektorat die besten Doktorarbeiten des Jahres 2025 ausgezeichnet. 

How can processes in large-scale kitchens be made more precise, sustainable, and efficient? This was the question tackled by Nico Nonnen and Mattis Sippel, two Information Systems graduates from the University of Münster, laying the foundation for their start-up, better bites. Their AI-driven software solution helps kitchen managers plan ingredient usage more accurately, reduce food waste, and optimize processes.

Wie lassen sich die Abläufe in Großküchen präziser, nachhaltiger und effizienter gestalten? Mit dieser Frage beschäftigten sich die beiden Wirtschaftsinformatik-Absolventen der Universität Münster, Nico Nonnen und Mattis Sippel, und legten damit den Grundstein für ihr Start-up better bites. Ihre KI-gestützte Softwarelösung unterstützt Küchenleitungen dabei, den Wareneinsatz genauer zu planen, Lebensmittelverschwendung zu reduzieren und Prozesse zu optimieren.

At the graduation ceremony, the Student Council of the School of Business and Economics awarded the teaching prizes for outstanding achievement in teaching. Students nominate three courses in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs across the three subjects: Business Administration, Economics, and Information Systems. The Teaching Award Committee then selects the winners. 

Awards for Information Systems:

• Information Systems (Bachelor): Dr. Johannes Sedlmeir – “Security of Distributed Systems”
• Information Systems (Master): Sandro Franzoi and Tobias Zimmermann – „Hilti Seminar“
• Business Administration (Master): Prof. Jan vom Brocke and Mara Burger – “Entrepreneurship 4: Business Modelling”  

Further nominations:

• Information Systems (Bachelor): Dr. Adam Widera and Prof. Bernd Hellingrath – “Quantitative Methoden und Simulation in der humanitären Logistik“ and Prof. Christian Grimme – „Systemanalyse und Entscheidungsfindung“  
• Information Systems (Master): Dr. Armin Stein, Tobias Zimmermann and Helene Müller – „Process Engineering“ and Prof. Dragos-Calin Vieru and Dr. Jan Stockhinger – „Digital Transformation and Organizational Ambidexterity“

We warmly congratulate all awardees on this recognition! 

Teaching Award for Bachelor's in Information Systems: Prize Winner Dr. Johannes Sedlmeir (left) with fellow nominees Dr. Adam Widera and Prof. Christian Grimme. 

Teaching Award for Master's in Information Systems: Prize Winner Mara Burger and Prof. Jan vom Brocke. 

Die Fachschaft Wirtschaftswissenschaften hat im Namen der Studierenden die Auszeichnungen für besonders gute Lehre vergeben. In den drei Fächern Betriebswirtschaftslehre, Volkswirtschaftslehre und Wirtschaftsinformatik wurden jeweils drei Veranstaltungen im Bachelor- und im Masterstudium nominiert, aus denen das Gremium Lehrpreis die Gewinner:innen kürte. Der Lehrpreis wird seit 2010 von der Fachschaft Wirtschaftswissenschaften verliehen. Damit werden Dozentinnen und Dozenten des Fachbereichs für herausragende Leistungen in der Lehre belohnt.

The Economics Student Council has presented awards for outstanding teaching on behalf of the students. In the three subjects of business administration, economics and business informatics, three courses each were nominated in the bachelor's and master's programmes, from which the teaching award committee selected the winners. The teaching award has been presented by the Economics Student Council since 2010. It rewards lecturers in the department for outstanding achievements in teaching.

Around 250 Bachelor's and Master's students received their degree certificates at the end of November. The graduation ceremony organised by the WiWi student council provided a fitting festive setting for the occasion. After a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Thomas Langer, Dean of the School of Business and Economics, the certificates were presented and numerous photos were taken. At a champagne reception, the graduates had the opportunity to toast with family and friends.

Rund 250 Bachelor- und Masterstudierende haben Ende November ihre Abschlusszeugnisse erhalten. Die von der Fachschaft WiWi organisierte Abschlussfeier bot dafür den angemessenen festlichen Rahmen. Nach der Begrüßung durch Prof. Dr. Thomas Langer, Dekan der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät, wurden die Zeugnisse überreicht und zahlreiche Fotos gemacht. Bei einem Sektempfang hatten die Absolvent:innen die Gelegenheit, mit Familie und Freund:innen anzustoßen.

How can processes in large-scale kitchens be made more precise, sustainable, and efficient? This was the question tackled by Nico Nonnen and Mattis Sippel, two Information Systems graduates from the University of Münster, laying the foundation for their start-up, better bites. Their AI-driven software solution helps kitchen managers plan ingredient usage more accurately, reduce food waste, and optimize processes.

The idea originated where many students eat every day: in the cafeteria. While having lunch in the Da Vinci cafeteria on the Leonardo Campus, the two founders wondered how kitchen managers could calculate the right quantities every day without reliable guest numbers.

The first conceptual approaches had already emerged a few months earlier in their final bachelor’s module in Digital Business, led by Dr. Jan Stockhinger, in which students were asked to develop their own innovation. Since gastronomy played a significant role in their environment, they focused on the challenges of over- and underutilization in large-scale kitchens. In January 2025, they decided to pursue their idea after graduation in their own start-up.

Their first point of contact was the REACH Euregio Start-up Center, where they participated in the “Validation Lab” and systematically validated their idea. Conversations with potential customers quickly revealed that there is a great need for precise, data-driven planning, especially in cafeterias and large-scale kitchens.

A decisive step in the development of better bites was the close collaboration with the Studierendenwerk Münster, which they gained as a pilot customer. The founders had access to historical data, could observe processes on site and even take a look behind the scenes in the kitchen. This allowed them to analyze real processes and build and continuously adjust the software based on valid data.

The system behind better bites is a self-developed machine learning model that analyzes external factors such as weather, semester periods, lecture schedules, local events and previous sales figures to accurately predict how many guests will come and which dishes will be in high demand. Each cafeteria is modeled as an individual location with its own characteristics, while cross-location patterns within a city like Münster are also taken into account.

The results from several university cities demonstrate the software’s potential: it reduces food waste by 2,800 kilograms per location per year, increases planning accuracy by 11 percent, and lowers costs per location by more than €10,000 annually.

One of the biggest challenges was to develop the software in such way that it can be used not only by the Studierendenwerk Münster but in any cafeteria. At the same time, the user interface was designed to be as intuitive as possible and to show transparently how the forecasts are created. The founders emphasize that it is particularly important to them that: “we don’t want to replace the kitchen managers but support them in their daily planning,” emphasizes Nico Nonnen.

In addition to the Studierendenwerk Münster, the founders are now working with other student service organizations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden Württemberg. The next steps for Nico Nonnen and Mattis Sippel include expanding to additional locations and entering the corporate cafeteria. In the long term, the software is intended to support not only kitchen managers but also teams in menu planning, controlling and sustainability management. “We want to build long-term partnerships,” says Mattis Sippel. “We are deliberately not scaling without restraint but staying close to our customers in order to meet their needs optimally.”

The founders see their bachelor’s degree in Information Systems as an important foundation. The combination of business and IT content provided them with both theoretical fundamentals and practical knowledge, for example in the modules Data Management, Statistics or Digital Business. In addition, they gained valuable experience in working student jobs, internships, and through their engagement in student initiatives, allowing them to apply and deepen their knowledge. Experiences that particularly strengthened their soft skills, teamwork, and project competencies include the project seminar “INFOCAMP Board – A Hybrid Dashboard for Real-Time Visualization and Analysis of (Dis)Information Campaigns” with Prof. Christian Grimme, the Digital Business seminar with Dr. Jan Stockhinger, and a joint semester abroad in Lisbon.

“We are able to link a rather traditional sector like communal catering with the information technology sector, and that is exactly what we learned during our studies: that you have to think interdisciplinarily,” says Nico Nonnen.

Their advice to students is to make the most of their studies, actively seek practical experience, think interdisciplinarily, and seize opportunities such as semester abroad in order to grow both professionally and personally.

Nico Nonnen and Mattis Sippel behind the scenes in the cafeteria at Aasee (© Studierendenwerk Münster).