The Award-Winning Theses
Lara Zschau, 2019 IHK Prize, worth 1,750 euros
Master’s thesis at the Department of Economics, Mainz University of Applied Sciences. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Oliver Mauroner, Grade: 1.0.Topic: “The ‘New Groupthink’ and Idea Generation: An Investigation of Hybrid Brainstorming as the Key to Introverts’ Enhanced Contribution to Ideation.” It is becoming increasingly important for companies to maintain their competitive edge through innovation. Such innovations are initially based on ideas, which often originate from the company’s own employees. In everyday business life, certain group-dynamic methods have become established for generating ideas, such as classic brainstorming. However, scientific research shows that introverted people often struggle to come up with ideas and express them in group settings. Lara Zschau demonstrated through an experiment that the method known as “hybrid brainstorming” can lead introverts to generate more ideas than they would using the traditional approach.
Lara Zschau, born in 1991, first earned her bachelor’s degree at the ESB Business School, Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences, and then went on to earn a master’s degree in International Business at Mainz University of Applied Sciences. During her studies, she spent semesters abroad in Sweden and Argentina. She received a Baden-Württemberg scholarship to support her studies. In addition to her studies, the Darmstadt native gained professional experience at Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn, and CPC Unternehmensmanagement AG. Today, she works as a consultant specializing in human resources transformation at a management consulting firm in Frankfurt am Main.
Daniel Becker, 2019 IHK Award, worth 1,750 euros
Master’s thesis in the Department of Engineering, Architecture program at Mainz University of Applied Sciences. Advisor: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Michael Spies, Grade: 1.0.Topic: “The Other Expansion – Urban Renewal Measures as a Means of Strengthening Neighborhoods (Volumes I and II).” When it comes to the housing market in the Middle Rhine region, the term “expansion” is a foreign concept. The lack of space for construction and the poor infrastructure in the valley are reasons for the population decline that has been ongoing for years and the resulting increase in vacancies—a trend that Mainz University of Applied Sciences already highlighted in a pilot study on Oberwesel published in 2012. Contrary to the assessments made at that time, six years later there are initial signs that the situation in Oberwesel’s city center has changed. New forms of housing, such as multigenerational living or communal living arrangements, are playing a role by offering both the aging generation and young families attractive opportunities to remain in the town centers. The need for adaptation, stabilization, and orderly demolition and reconstruction will become a key task for local development in the coming years.
Daniel Becker, born in 1989, completed his apprenticeship as a stonemason and went on to pass the master craftsman’s examination in this trade in Koblenz and Freiburg, graduating as the top young master craftsman at the Freiburg Chamber of Crafts. He then pursued a degree in architecture, first earning a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s. He gained professional experience in stonemasonry and sculpture in his hometown of Oberwesel, then joined his parents’ road construction and plumbing company as an employee. During his studies, Daniel Becker completed internships at architectural firms. Today, he is employed by the State Real Estate and Construction Management Agency in Mainz.
