Topics of PhD theses for admission in 2012

Jrk nr Topic

Professor Raul Eamets

1. Labour market mobility and productivity

2. Human capital and migration: knowledge transformation in small open economy

3. Depression and labour markets: effects on structural changes and on productivity

4. Reservation wage and previous job experience

5. Modernization of European social model: combining social security and labour market flexibility

Professor Toomas Haldma

6. Contingencies influencing management accounting development

7. Accounting in public sector institutions

8. Companies’ performance measurement and management

9. Performance measurement and management in public sector

10. Impact of innovation system on companies’ performance

Associate Professor/Senior Research Fellow Anneli Kaasa

11. Between-firm social capital and its influence on firms

12. Relationships between social capital and firms' social responsibility

Lecturer Andres Kuusik

13. The influence of smartphones on consumer behaviour

Professor Jorma Antero Larimo

14. Advertising/communication strategies – cultural values and advertising performance relationship – Focus on Estonia or Comparison between Baltic States or e.g. Estonia vs. Russia and/or Finland or multicountry analysis

15. Cultural values in advertising/communication - Focus on Estonia or Comparison between Baltic States or e.g. Estonia vs. Russia and/or Finland or multicountry analysis

16. Foreign acquisition or alliance strategies and performance analysis

17. Internationalization – performance relationship/Determinants of an Optimal Internationalization Strategy

18. Export marketing strategies – performance relationship in SMEs/ Between traditional exporters vs. INVs/BGs and/or family vs. Non-family firms: Focus either in Estonia or Comparison between Baltic States or e.g. Estonia vs. Russia and/or Finland or multicountry analysis

Lecturer Kertu Lääts

19. Influence of information technology developments on management accounting information assurance and usage

20. Links between management accounting innovations and performance management

Senior Research Fellow Jaan Masso

21. The impact of foreign direct investments on the home and host country of investment

22. Innovation, science and technology indicators

23. The impact of innovations of firm performance

24. Labour mobility across firms and occupations

Professor Tõnis Mets

25. Success factors of technology and knowledge-based SMEs of small open economy origin (R&D, IP, strategy, business models, collaboration with universities, different aspects)

26. Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial processes (different aspects)

27. Customer-driven experimentation-based innovation (and product development) for global markets

Professor Tiiu Paas

28. Determinants and trends of regional economic growth and convergence, growth and inequality

29. Ethnical diversity of labour force and determinants of peoples’ attitudes to immigrants

30. International labour mobility, determinants, relation to economic development

31. Regional disparities in productivity and industry mix in EU

32. Cross-boarder labour mobility (e.g. the Estonian-Finnish case)

Associate Professor Eve Parts

33. Characteristics of business cycles in transformation economies

34. Policies to overcome economic crisis and their efficiency

Associate Professor Kaia Philips

35. Valuation of human capital: adequacy of the educational level and skills with the demands on labour market

36. Wage determinations and its influencing factors

37. International labour mobility and its impact to the labour markets of sending and receiving countries

38. Flexibility and security in labour markets

Professor Olev Raju

39. Economic crisis in Estonia 2007-2010

40. Estonian taxation system and its impact on economy

41. Local governments’ economic situation in Estonia

42. Ecology and economy

43. Estonian state budget in the context of EU economy

Professor Janno Reiljan

44. Local public service areas: a contribution to administrative division of Estonia

45. Innovation and development in a small open economy: the case of Estonia

46. Assessment of socio-economic capabilities of municipalities: the case of Estonia

Associate Professor /Senior Research Fellow Tõnu Roolaht

47. Role of foreign direct investments in influencing innovativeness on the country and company levels

48. Facilitation of innovativeness with demand-side measures

49. Establishment and development of innovation processes in international companies

50. Internationalization of companies by using of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions

51. Importance of innovation cooperation in development of companies

Associate Professor Priit Sander

52. The role of CFO's attitude in corporate financial decision-making

53. The impact and profitability of energy- saving investments

Professor Jüri Sepp

54. Innovation system as instrument of system competition

55. Institutional framework of infrastructural sectors

56. Convergence of sectoral structure of economy in EU

Associate Professor Viktor Trasberg

57. Business Cycle Management

58. Fiscal Federalism

59. Tax Policy

60. Fiscal Policy

Professor Kulno Türk

61. The development and factors affecting the performance management and remuneration systems (performance related pay systems) of public sector workers (on the example of Estonian public sector organizations)

62. Teachers’ performance appraisal and remuneration aspects of performance management on the example of Estonian vocational schools

63. Elaboration and application of teachers’ performance management and performance based pay systems in the Estonian general educational schools (instruction of the subject is possible in collaboration with social scholars)

64. Performance management of private and public sector organizations according to New Public Management

Senior Research Fellow Kadri Ukrainski

65. Innovation in traditional manufacturing sectors

66. The role of public enterprises in national innovation system

67. Comparative analysis of innovation policies in European countries

68. The role of universities/research institutions in national innovation system

69. Innovation in public sector

Professor Maaja Vadi

70. Employees’ capabilities and productivity: the context of knowledge organizations

71. Organizational culture: measurement and management in the Asian context (focus on India or China or Japan or Vietnam)

72. Scope, participants, and time horizon of strategic planning: implications for organizational performance

Research Fellow Priit Vahter

73. Internationalization of Firms

74. International Trade and Productivity of Firms

75. Open Innovation and Firm Performance

76. Effects of Competition on Firms

Professor Urmas Varblane

77. National innovation system, innovation policy

78. Foreign direct investments and knowledge transfer

79. Clusters and cluster-cooperation in economy

80. University – industry cooperation and knowledge transfer

81. Economic structural changes as the factor of productivity

Senior Research Fellow Tiia Vissak

82. Innovative solutions in firms' fast internationalization

83. The role of network relationships in innovation processes

84. The role of networks in firms' fast internationalization

85. Factors influencing non-linear internationalization

86. The role of knowledge in firms' internationalization